Konoha Gaiden: Naruto  Youkai Gakuen
by Thenewguy15
Summary: Many believe that Namikaze Minato learned the art of sealing from his sensei Jiraiya. What if that wasn't entirely true? What if he were given the rarest of opportunities for his growth? And what if… that same opportunity were given to his son?
1. Chapter 1

_Konoha Gaiden: Naruto + Youkai Gakuen_

Chapter 1

It was mid-day, and the day turned out beautifully. The sun shone brightly; white, fluffy clouds lazily floating by. The birds were out, singing their songs as their wings carried them on a soft breeze. This was the picture depicting Konohagakure as her populous went about their business. One woman however, was not partaking in observing this marvellous atmosphere.

The woman was sitting behind a desk, in a tall tower, with near-toppling pillars of paper that was either waiting to be signed, or taken out. Paperwork; it was the bane of every person in any state of office. There never seemed to be an end to the flow of paperwork that came in, waiting to be signed. The constant signing or stamping of these documents not only brought awful cramps to the signer's hand, but a frown to their face as well.

Today proved different though. The woman at the desk had a small smile on her face, as if content with all the paperwork she had to complete. Unsurprisingly, she was smiling for an entirely different reason. Today was a special day, a day she had been waiting for the past 2 and a half years to occur. In her excitement, she found the will to completely disregard all forms of discomfort with her daily workload.

She looked around her late twenties, early thirties. On her head was a fountain of long, light blonde hair, tied together in two pigtails which trailed down to her lower back. A pair of bangs helped frame her young, beautiful face, and continued down to the base of her neck. Her eyes were a rich almond brown and her lips were a light pink and full; opened slightly as she smiled, showing her white teeth. On her forehead was a small, purple diamond-like tattoo of sorts.

Her figure made many a jaw drop for those whom had never seen her before, and sometimes, even still for those who have already. Her legs were fit and strong, her stomach flat and her rump shapely. Her hips were wide and her waist slim; her core in proportion to her legs. Her chest was what brought fantasy to many a man and jealousy to many a woman. At 106 cm, full and firm with a slight bit of sag, it was no wonder she garnered the thoughts and looks she received. Her neck was thin but full and strong while her shoulders were wide, matching the width of her hips. Her arms were firm and strong, yet smooth without a hint of any oversized muscle. Her skin was supple, smooth and unblemished, completing the look of a woman who redefined the term buxom blonde. It certainly didn't help that her shirts of choice were worn to show as much cleavage as decency allowed. Unlike the blonde stereotype however, she was far from stupid.

This woman was Senju Tsunade, granddaughter and grandniece to the first 2 kages of Konoha. She was known worldwide as the slug Sennin, teammate to Jiraiya the toad Sennin and Orochimaru, traitor and snake Sennin. Tsunade's claim to fame was due to her medical expertise. Even more so was her legendary super strength, enabling her to crush walls with but a tap, make trenches with a stomp of her foot, and with a flick of a finger send any unlucky person, most likely a man, curdling for dozens of yards and through most obstacles. As much as she was an inspiration to many a young girl wishing to become a strong kunoichi, Tsunade had garnered a less than positive nickname.

She was known as the legendary Sucker, not because of what most lecherous men believed in their fantasies, but because of her gambling skills. Her luck was the absolute worst. It was so bad that any time she actually won; it was believed to be a bad omen, a sign that something bad for her was going to happen. It didn't help one bit that Tsunade loved to gamble, nor that she loved to drink alcohol.

One fact that was known only to a select few was that Tsunade hated growing old. So much so that her looks were really an illusion, a complex and high ranked genjutsu meant to hide her aged looks, hiding the fact she was actually over fifty.

But none of that mattered to her right now. She was waiting for two of the few people she truly cared for to return. One was her teammate Jiraiya. He was a bear of a man, with a complex spy network all over the elemental nations, in nearly every country. He was a sealing master, one of the rarest of shinobi professions to take up. He was also a pervert without equal. His novel series Icha-icha Paradise was just as widely known as his perverted mannerisms. He was still her teammate however, and while she nearly did kill him for his perverted ways when they were younger, he was still a good friend and she wouldn't trade him for anything; though he could tone down his perverted habits…

The other person she hadn't known for nearly as long, only a couple of months really. And yet in that time he practically became a son to her, not only helping her confront her inner demons, but was the reason why she returned to her home in the first place and took up the mantle of Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure.

Taking a break she turned her chair to the open bay window behind her. Standing up, she stood in front of the window, looking out on her village, her home that she had returned to.

'_Only two and a half years and already the village is prosperous again. Maybe not as much before the Kyuubi's attack fifteen years ago, but I'd say we're in better shape than before Sound's invasion. I wonder when that brat and pervert will get back. It's already July 4__th __and I've haven't seen hide nor hair of either of those two. If they're making me wait to make a grand entrance I-' _ her thoughts were derailed by the sound of doors opening. Turning around quickly, she found her perverted teammate Jiraiya walking to her desk. The smile growing on her face disappeared when she saw how serious her team mate looked. Not seeing any spec of blonde around the man, she spoke up.

"Where's the brat Jiraiya? He's at that Ramen shop again I take it?" She smirked as she imagined the blonde inhaling bowl after bowl of the stuff after not having it for so long.

"Is there an office we can speak in private Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, tearing the smirk off her face. Hearing that tone of voice, she knew he meant business; it was cemented when he used just her name instead of one of his pet names he usually used. Nodding, she pushed the button for the intercom, telling her secretary to postpone any appointments for the next two hours. That done, she lead Jiraiya out of her office, nearly knocking over an indiscrete shinobi and Tsunade's personal assistant, Shizune. Both moved out of Hokage's way, not wanting to knock over the handfuls of paperwork each had.

As she led Jiraiya to a more discrete room, her mind brought up and dashed ideas as to the reason for Jiraiya's request. They soon reach an empty room. It had a single open window, bringing in fresh air that the ceiling fan circulated. On the right was a book shelf four feet high, little over half full with books and novels of varying topics. Opposite the shelf was a small clock, showing it to be around quarter past one. On either side of the window, in both corners were large potted plants, used mainly to liven up the room really. Lastly there was a simple desk, a pair of chairs and a small carpet in the center of the room.

Immediately upon entering, Jiraiya went to the window, closing and locking it before drawing the drapes. Seeing this, Tsunade locks the door after closing it. Going to the center of the room, Jiraiya motions to the desk and the pair move it towards the window. Moving the rug and chairs aside, Jiraiya asks Tsunade to wait on the side. She watches as he kneels down, brings out a square piece of paper, roughly a foot wide. Soon after he brings out his brush and ink, and begins to draw on the paper. Tsunade looks on, somewhat mesmerized at how he moved his hands with precision, drawing out the seal design and matrix in record time. She can vaguely recognise that it's a sensing seal, but can't discern what exactly the seal is meant to find. Once he was done, Tsunade hoped to sate her curiosity as her teammate puts away his writing materials.

"What kind of seal is it? I recognize part of it, but what is it meant to find?" It put her on edge; she knew that the only times he drew up seals before giving her a report were when he had crucial information to tell her; info that needed the utmost secrecy. Her thoughts continued to speed up, thinking up all the various scenarios that could have happened. Had the Akatsuki gotten Naruto? Was he stuck in a political situation that needed her intervention? Was he in the hospital? She stopped thinking long enough to hear what Jiraiya would say next.

"I'll tell you after a moment. Now please stay quite for a bit, I need to concentrate." He immediately forms a half-ram seal with one hand, placing the other on the edge of the paper, channelling chakra into it. Tsunade gave a mix between a frown and a pout, having to wait for her answer but consented, knowing the man needed to focus. So with nothing else to do, she sat herself in one of the chairs and waited. It didn't take too long, only about five minutes at most. Whenever the seal glowed slightly, Jiraiya would stop, get up and move about the room.

The first time he went over to the plant on the left of the window. Turning it around, he found nothing, but feeling underneath it, he rips off a seal tag. He mumbled to himself, Tsunade only catching up on the word 'concealment' before Jiraiya placed the plant back down. He takes the paper seal, folded it, and then channelled enough chakra to overload it, turning it pitch black. He then mutters a small, nameless Katon Jutsu, rendering the tag to ash. After finishing his search, he had found two more in the room. One was underneath the carpet while the other was along one of the fins of the ceiling fan.

Just to make sure, he tries again, making Tsunade frown in slight frustration. After another two minutes, Jiraiya gets up and walks over to the book shelf. Picking up a novel he freezes, breath hitched in his throat. Catching Tsunade's attention, she got up and looks around his shoulder wondering what was so wrong. Looking in his hands she can't help but smile, while in her head a chibi version of herself was jumping around like a small kid on a sugar high, waving a pair of fans around and cheering on the top of her lungs.

In Jiraiya's hands was the third book of his Icha-icha series, turned to some of the blank pages near the end of the book were he found the last seal. With arms feeling like lead, he hands Tsunade the book with slow, shaking hands, as if he were giving away one of his own children to whatever horrible fate awaited it. In a monotone voice filled with pain and despair, he utters two words any woman would give both legs and an arm to hear from his mouth.

"Burn it." She couldn't see his face, but she could tell that he was probably crying rivers over this. For a moment she felt a slight bit of sympathy for the man, but then her womanly pride came barrelling through, crushing whatever sympathy she had for the pervert. Only a single pair of words played through her mind as she took the book, 'With pleasure'. Performed the same nameless Katon jutsu as her team mate, she watched in almost carnal pleasure as the book burned, taking both the seal and whatever smut-filled pages with it. Thankfully she remembered to channel chakra through her hand to keep her from getting burned. On her face was the largest shit-eating grin she could muster, while in her mind she was in the middle of a parade, on a float waving to all the faceless women as they cheered for her, as if she were a hero without equal.

Returning to reality, she finds Jiraiya taking the searching seal from the ground, before returning the rug to the center of the room. Sending Tsunade a look, they both return the room back to normal. As she sits down, she watches Jiraiya place silence seals into the eight corners of the room. Looking at his face she finds that he looks as if her burning the book hadn't happened at all.

'_Hmm…__ probably waiting till tonight to drink and cry away at the loss of his smut.' _ She gave a small giggle at that thought, drawing Jiraiya's attention from placing the second last seal. She waves him off, telling him to finish up. He does so quickly, before sitting on the other side of the desk.

"Alright Jiraiya, start explaining. Where is Naruto?" She asked as she crossed her arms under her impressive bust while her face was all business. He didn't miss a beat as he replied soon after.

"Right now Naruto is on Mt. Myobokuzan training with the toads on chakra control mainly before he's ready to take on senjutsu training." A frown grew on Tsunade's face at that.

"If he's only now getting ready for senjutsu, what were the last two and a half years for? Couldn't you have started him up sooner?" Jiraiya had a frown to match Tsunade's own as he spoke.

"As for your first question, I've been training him as a possible candidate to take over my spy network. Also I was working with the brat trying to control the beasts Youki. So I couldn't have started him earlier on in senjutsu, he was too young and wasn't ready for it." Tsunade, though miffed at the rebuttal, understood his reasoning and nodded for him to continue. He did so without hesitation.

"As far as trying to control the beasts Youki is concerned, he was doing really well. Just over two months ago, he was able to control up to three tails without any negative effects for about two hours before returning to normal." She nods, and then pops a question in a tone that would have made lesser men nervous.

"Now that's all well and good, but what do you mean…_was_?" She dragged that last word out for what seemed to be eternity for the man before he spoke up.

"You're not going to like what I'm about to say, but you've got to promise me you won't hit me. You see I'm actually a shadow clone while the original is on the mountain overlooking the brat's training." At hearing that she was talking to a clone, Tsunade is fuming, mumbling about beating said original when next she sees him. It's enough to make the clone chuckle nervously while scratching his left cheek. After calming down some, she tells him to continue. Preparing for what he knows is coming next, he decides to get it out and over with.

"You know how with Akatsuki being after him, Naruto's going to need all the power he can get and use. So with that in mind…" Here he hesitated, but it was soon over as he continued. "With that in mind, I modified the seal a smidge-bit the allow Naruto greater access to the Kyuubi's Youki." The look on Tsunade's face made the clone cower and wish it could disappear right now. But it knew it needed to endure this so he could give the rest of his report. Tsunade for her part was completely furious, so much so that if the silencing seals weren't there, the original could probably hear her tirade in the distance.

"You **WHAT? **How could you have done something so irresponsible? I know you could be an idiot at times Jiraiya but this just takes the fucking cake! Don't you realize what you've DONE? You've just made it easier for those bastards from Akatsuki to extract the damn beast from Naruto! What's even worse is that just as it gives Naruto greater access to the Kyuubi's energy, you just gave the damn fox a greater chance of ESCAPING! What the HELL were you **THINKING?**" As her tirade continued, which included punching the desk to nothingness, the clone knew for sure a few facts. One: the original was just plain screwed, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Two: once it disappeared he was sure the original would piss himself at how Tsunade described his punishment. Its mere description made the clone shudder and sweat. He was thankful that Tsunade had enough sense of mind not to touch the clone, no matter how much she wished to strangle him. After Tsunade finished her tirade, her chest was heaving as she took deep breaths. The clone wasn't unaware of what her actions were doing to her bust, but the clone wasn't suicidal. Waiting for her to calm done some, the clone just kept silent. Getting her breath back, plus settling a glare on the clone, she told him to continue, but not before pulling out a small scroll and unsealing a brand new desk, exactly like the previous one. Reclaiming its wits, the clone did as instructed. He talked as he took off his overcoat and mesh shirt.

"Alright…about two months ago, two weeks after mastering three tails, I pushed him to pull out more. It was also two months ago that I came close to my second brush with death. The first time as you know Tsu-hime, was when you caught me peeking on some women when we were younger. After you had your way with me, you left me with six ribs and both arms broken, as well as a number of ruptured organs. There will probably be a third time when the original meets up with you." He chuckled, trying and failing to lighten things up with the dry humour. Other than the lightest blush on her face, Tsunade's face stayed the same. Finally taking off the mesh shirt, he showed a large spread out scar on his chest. Tsunade for her part only widened her eyes slightly. Regaining his serious composure, he continued on.

"This was from Naruto when he pulled out only one more tail of Youki, making it a total of four. Getting Naruto angry was the main trigger to bring out the tails, and while he did well in controlling three, four tails just proved to be too much. As soon as it sprouted, any appreciation for his own actions he may have had was replaced by a pure destructive impulse. It was as though he became a miniature Kyuubi no Youko." He gave a sign as he put his shirts back on. He also gave Tsunade time to take in all that info before he moved on.

"There is another problem. In his 'Kyuubi form', he is covered in a fox shaped shroud of Youki that, at first glance, looks like it's protecting him. In reality however, it does the exact opposite; that is, constantly causing damage to his body. Once the fourth tail had fully formed, his body was not only covered by the shroud of chakra, but of his own blood as well. He then proceeded to go on a rampage, despite the number of injuries he had previously." He took a breath before he continued. He saw the look of concern on Tsunade's face but pushed on, knowing he needed to finish.

"Once the shroud had dissipated, his damaged body repaired itself thanks to the internal Youki within his body. However, if he continues on with such rapid cycles of injury and then healing…"

"…Not only will his body weaken, but his life span will shorten." Tsunade finished for him. Jiraiya gave a grave nod as Tsunade gave a large sigh, mumbling on how she'll need a drink after this. Before Tsunade could say anything else, Jiraiya gave a bright smile.

"There is one more thing though. Something good that actually came out from this." Here Tsunade gave an extremely puzzled face. She voiced her thoughts without delay.

"What the hell do you mean pervert? What good could come from what you just told me? Unless you're telling me that either you fixed the seal or Naruto vowed never to use the Kyuubi's energy again." At the shake of his head, plus his 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile, she grew frustrated and yelled out 'Then what?'

"Before I continue on, there is something I got to explain first. I promise you, it will all make sense, just give me a moment." Giving another sigh of frustration, she nodded for him to continue on.

"Alright, it's like this. It started out while I was training Minato when he was about Naruto's age. At the time we were having a small bit of difficulty. Somehow, Minato had hit a road block when I was teaching him about seals. No matter what I tried; visuals, examples, you name it; nothing could get through to him. Sure, he was well past the basics and he understood them well enough, but some of the theories and workings of anything higher than that he couldn't seem to understand. I know it's hard to visualize the forth like that with all the rumours about his genius with seals, but trust me it's true." Jiraiya tried hard to hold in his laughter at the incredulous look Tsunade had on her face, but even then a small chuckle left from his mouth. Gaining control he moved on.

"Anyway, about three weeks after he hit this road block, we ran into the most unlikely person. The guy was a traveling priest, shuffling forward as if he hadn't eaten in days. After confirming that, Minato and I shared a few rations with him. Even though I didn't let my guard down, there wasn't anything malicious I could feel about the guy. The both of us being curious, asked what a priest was doing in a world full of shinobi, not to mention how he could have lived for so long. He had said that he was simply traveling, going from town to town, offering his services. Minato had blurted out 'what services?', and before I could reprimand the kid, the guy says that he was an exorcist." If Jiraiya had found Tsunade's earlier face funny, the one she sported now was simply hilarious. He tried to hold it in, he really did, but it was just too much. He soon let out a large booming laugh, clutching his sides as he went on. Tsunade simply blushed, embarrassed and annoyed at her teammate. As soon as he was done catching his breath, he wiped a tear from his eye, while moving his other hand in a placating motion.

"I'm sorry, Tsu-hime I really am. But your face…it was just too much." Regardless of how funny it was, it didn't take long to recover. "Anyway, I wasn't kidding about the guy being an exorcist. After asking him to prove it, he showed us some of his talisman seals, and I'm telling you Tsunade they were a real piece of work. They were the real deal; I could feel their purifying power when I held them. Since the kid was excited about the seals, plus his earlier frustration, he blurted out that they were more complex than the ones I was teaching him. At that age, he and Naruto were very much alike. Guess is goes to show where Naruto gets some of his mannerisms from." He paused to take a breath, and then continued on.

"Moving on, after I scold the kid for letting out what he shouldn't, the guy then asked how his training was going, saying it must have be difficult. Minato had sent me a look, and knowing the cat was out of the bag so to speak, I told the priest about some of his progress and discretely told him that he seemed to have hit a road block. He thought for a bit, and then says that he can offer a method that could help, a method that would give Minato a greater understanding of life, strength and most of all, help with his sealing. Being in the funk we were in before, we nearly yelled in the man's face to tell us what it was. I had asked how long this method would be and the guy said only four years. Also, he said that Minato would have to accompany him without me. I was sceptical and asked why I couldn't accompany my student. He simply said that I wasn't the person the offer was being made to. I argued with the man for a full half-hour before I couldn't come with anything else to argue. He assured me that even though there was a high risk to this method, it was well worth it and that he believed Minato could do it. At my wits end I basically left the choice up to the kid.

"He thought on it for a bit before taking the man's offer. Now, I know your thinking I should have argued better into letting me go along with Minato and of how I could trust the man after meeting him that one time. There was something odd about the man. I could feel a large amount of power hidden within him. There was also the fact that as we argued, he spoke with a wisdom I hadn't seen since the elder toads on Myobokuzan, and that's got to tell you something. Now, once Minato agreed, the guy calls himself the 'Chairman', pulls out a single sheet of paper, saying that the both of us had to sign it before Minato could go. I read through it a few times to make sure that nothing was amiss, and the form was completely legit. What's strange though is that the form looked like an application more than anything…

"But I'm telling you right now Tsunade, when Minato came back and we resumed his study in sealing, he progressed faster in a single day then what was done in months before he left. I may not know what he went through, but this method certainly got results. It gave Minato the chance to become prepared for what was to come in his life. Most of all though, it gave the kid time, time to grow and find new ways in which to think. And more importantly, it gave him time to mature into the man he became." For her part, Tsunade was quite impressed. Whatever method must have been good if it got the forth to where he was before the war. Before Jiraiya could continue on, Tsunade spoke up with something that didn't really surprise the man.

"So, this… Chairman paid the two of you a visit after Naruto had gone four-tails two months ago and basically gave him the same offer?" Jiraiya proved her suspicions right when he tapped the side of his nose while nodding.

"That's right Tsu-chan. But he did more than that. In truth, it didn't come as a surprise to me that he would know that all that power came from inside of Naruto. What did surprise me was what he did as soon as he met the kid. He immediately reversed my uh…meddling with the seal back into perfect order. What's more; what actually floored me was that he actually improved the seal and made it safer for Naruto." He finished off as he took out a pen and a piece of paper. He folded the paper in two then unfolded it, placing it on the desk. On the left side of the paper he drew a rough sketch of the seal on Naruto's stomach. On the right he drew the same thing with one difference. The seal on the right had an extra circle around the central swirl of the seal. The ring was thin, and had nine points, each double the width of the ring, and placed in equal distance from each other. Putting the pen down, he pulled up the paper in front of Tsunade before he explained.

"On the left is what Naruto's seal looked like before the priest improved on it. On the right is the improved design. As you can see, the improved design has an extra ring between the swirl portion of the seal and the 'spokes' of the seal. This ring is a filter, one much more proficient than the original seal; and it's fuelled by the demons own Youki to function. It works a tail at a time, completely filtering and transferring the tail before moving on. Each of the nine nodes represent each of the tails that need to be filtered. At first, they remain black until the node before it finishes transferring a tail. The node turns red when the process begins. As time goes on, the node shifts from red to blue, signifying how far the process has gone and how much of the tails Youki has been changed into chakra. When nearly complete, the node will glow softly before turning and staying completely blue, the glow disappearing. As each node finishes, they progress in a counter-clockwise direction, starting with the top left-most node, and will end with the top most node." Jiraiya paused once more, taking a breath and letting the info sink in before explaining further.

"So far, two whole tails have already been transferred, that's a tail per month basically. The third will take the whole next month to completely transfer; but the only reason why the seal is working so fast is because Naruto's body has adjusted or adapted to channelling such a large amount of chakra within him. Once the third tail is done, the other six will take a much longer period of time to be fully filtered. My guess is so that the kid's body has time to adjust to the amount of power each new tail brings. The priest said it would take a full eighteen months for each tail to be filtered, but knowing Naruto and his unpredictability, I'd say the other tails will be done in about thirteen to fourteen months each. So pretty much in six and a half to nine years the Kyuubi will be nothing more than a voice in the boys head and the Akatsuki's plans will be forever ruined, whatever they may be." Jiraiya had a grin of pure confidence, one that said they had won the war; it was only a matter of time before the enemy was beat.

If Tsunade was standing, she would have fallen back into her seat. The news shocked, no; it completely floored her. A grin slowly grew on her face as she started laughing. What she felt right now was complete elation for Naruto; this was one of the best hands Kami had dealt Naruto his whole life. She was laughing with so much joy she shed a tear, she was that happy for her practically surrogate son. Jiraiya smiled largely as he watched his teammate. He hadn't seen her so happy since her lover Dan was alive. Once she calms down and regains her breath, he continues.

"Just wait Tsu-chan, there's more. Another fact with the filter is that once all the Kyuubi's Youki has been transferred, the ring will disappear. Along with the filter, the priest placed one other seal on Naruto. It's a mental barrier meant to help shield Naruto's mind and soul from the Kyuubi's influence when he draws on its Youki. It was powered at first by whatever Youki was present in the brat's body, but it's slowly started to work with Naruto's chakra since enough Youki has been transferred. It'll still allow Naruto to enter his mindscape and actually converse with the beast, but the beast won't be able to do a damn thing to Naruto.

"The seal is an eight pointed star in a circle with the Kanji for mind on it. This seal is placed on the back of the kids neck, where it junctures with the boys shoulders." If Jiraiya thought Tsunade's smile was big before, it was probably going to split her face in half if it got any bigger. In her mind, she was whooping for joy, just wishing she could rub this in some of the council member's faces, especially the elders; the same went for Akatsuki. Reminding herself that she couldn't do so, mainly to save Naruto the trouble later on, she deflated some; the smile was still present on her face though. She made a bet in her mind that Jiraiya couldn't have any more surprises for her.

"Jiraiya, this may be the best news I've ever gotten! Finally, things are starting to look up for the kid. So tell me, what have the last two months been like?" She asked with her eyes sparkling with joy and curiosity as she looked at the hermit.

"Well it's been mainly two things, chakra control and taijutsu. I knew it would take an overhaul of chakra control to help the kid with the amount of chakra he'll be getting, so I helped clue him in on the memory trick with Kage-bunshin. Once that was done, I helped him find out his natural affinity, which turned out to be wind. Next I had him completely **abuse** the technique with hundreds of clones working on various chakra control techniques daily, while I trained the real one in taijutsu. Once an hour had gone by, I'd have him dispel them all group by group. He'd knock himself out for about twenty minutes from the mental overload before going at it again." He then gave his team mate a look. The kind of look one has when they've stopped trying to understand something and just accepted it.

"That kid has the greatest amount of stamina I've ever seen Tsunade. On the first day he could only make a hundred clones five times before having to stop for the day. By the time the first month was done, he made three-hundred each hour for eight hours. Now he's going at nearly five-hundred clones an hour for about eleven hours. And at this point I'd bet he's got chuunin level control over his immense reserves. While that is a great improvement, I'm still going to wait till the third tail's done being filtered before I even think of starting his training in senjutsu. To quote the Nara, it would be too troublesome to start now with his stores constantly increasing at the rate they are. Once it's more regulated, it'll be a whole hell of a lot easier for him." Even mentally her betting still sucked; still though, she couldn't say she was unhappy with the loss. She was happy with Naruto's progress and knew it could only get better from here. Her thoughts went down another road as she thought about Naruto's work ethic.

'_His stamina is simply astounding; will he have no limit once the transfer is done? On that note, any girl lucky enough to get Naruto will be both lucky and very sore when it comes to…certain parts of the relationship.' _She chuckled to herself mentally at that thought, hiding what she though expertly from her teammate, knowing he would never let it down if he knew what she was thinking. Her thoughts took another turn as she realized something. She heaved a great sign, deflating greatly in her seat, catching Jiraiya's instantaneous attention and curiosity. When asked what was bugging her, she replied with another sigh.

"It's nothing you old pervert. Just that we're going to have to wait another couple of years before seeing him again. I know that all this time will help him become strong enough to take on any of Akatsuki's members, but still, there were quite a few people eagerly awaiting his return." She grew confused once again when he chuckled with a small shake of his head.

"Oh, was that all? Well, you're wrong on having to wait another few years to see him flat-chest." At this remark she growled at him, making him continue quickly. "You see, I had talked this over with the Chairman and we made up a schedule for Naruto. In another two months, Naruto will leave from Mt. Myobokuzan and head to where ever the priest's personal escort will take him. During that time Naruto will be training in the priest's method for most of the month, but once or twice on the weekends he'll return to Myobokuzan to continue his training in senjutsu. Also, the guy said that Naruto will be getting certain seasonal breaks, some long enough for the kid to return and take some sort of test in order to advance to chuunin." Hearing this took a large weight off Tsunade's shoulders as she sighed in relief, knowing that at least on certain weekends Naruto'll be able to return for a while.

"That's certainly a relief. Now, is there anything else I need to know?" She asked looking at the time, surprised that only an hour and fifteen minutes had passed. Jiraiya nods at her once her attention is back on him. He takes out two scrolls, both a light beige colour but each with different coloured edges. One scroll, which had the word Akatsuki inscribed on the side, had red edges. The other, with Naruto's name inscribed on the side, had yellow edges. The toad sage handed both over to his female teammate before elaborating.

"The scroll saying Akatsuki is all the info my network has been able to get on them. It's more info than I thought I'd get, but I won't look a gift-horse in the mouth. I've looked it over four times and took all the stops, the info's legit and true. Read that one second after you've read the one in yellow. That one is a more detailed report on Naruto than I'll be able to give." He would have continued had Tsunade not interrupted him.

"What do you mean 'a more detailed report you won't be able to give'? Why can't you explain it yourself?" She was annoyed by her teammates supposed laziness, though, why was she feeling like she forgot something?

"Have you forgotten already Tsu-hime? I'm a Kage-bunshin remember? And this clone doesn't have much time left before it goes 'poof'." Tsunade had the decency to blush at the reminder before regaining her composure and giving the clone a nod. The clone just smiles before shifting forward.

"There's one last thing before I go. Both those scrolls have important information in them, especially the one about the brat, make sure you commit the info to memory then burn them before leaving this room. Also, make sure that the sensing seal, my drawing for Naruto's seal and the silencing seals are destroyed as well; we don't want someone like Danzo getting his grubby little mitts on them do we? Well any who, my times up. Chow." And with that the bunshin dispelled itself, leaving the Godaime Hokage alone in the room. Once the smoke dissipated, she pocketed the red scroll, meaning to read it later. After that, she immediately tore into the other scroll.

_'Dear Tsu-hime,_

_ I knew before hand that a clone wouldn't last long enough to give both the general report AND the report on Akatsuki plus Naruto's growth. So I wrote these scrolls up for you; helps make sure I didn't forget anything._

_ In truth, I knew you were going to be pissed about what I did with the kid's seal-_

'_Your damn right I'm pissed about that you idiot!' _ Tsunade thought to herself before reading on.

_'-, but at the time, I wanted to do what I could to help the brat out to control the beast. With only two and a half years to do so and after a lack of progress, I got impatient, and worried. I felt that the kid could handle the challenge, and I was really proud of the kid when he mastered using three tails. But that four tailed form… it made me regret ever making that decision. Thankfully, for both my conscious and Naruto's health, the priest both fixed my mistake and improved on the seal. _

_ No__w, where to start with the brat? You wouldn't believe what this trip has done for the kid's mentality and maturity. The kid's grown Tsunade, much more than he would have if he had stayed. It didn't become apparent until about the middle of January when we first left, but when it did, I felt like strangling every person in the village who ever did the kid wrong. Being away from the oppressive atmosphere opened a big door for the kid, and he leapt right into it. _

_ Now I may not know as much about psychology as Ibiki or Inochi do, but I know Naruto created a mental shield, a mask to help protect his heart and spirit from the oppression the villages gave him. I'd say it was a natural reaction on the boy's part for his emotional self-preservation and I don't blame him. Add in the sabotaged education thanks to those bigots, and you've got a kid with a large amount of locked potential but doesn't know how to tap into it or express how he feels._

_ It took a bit of work on my part, but I was able to help make a crack in his mask. When that happened, it was as if the locked flood gates had finally opened. I think it would have to do with the fact that he subconsciously felt safe enough and comfortable enough around me to relax, to unwind some of his defences and show me what he had been safeguarding. It happened little by little as we traveled, and by now most of the mask is gone. I'm not so easily surprised anymore, and what I could see in the kid nearly blindsided me._

_ His potential is staggering, Tsunade. What jutsu I did teach him he soaked up like a sponge. As we traveled around, I helped him review what he should have been taught in the academy. He took in the entire first year in a month! By the time __seven months had gone by, he was nearly done what was taught in the final year. And this was along side learning proper strategy and introducing him to my spy network. You just show actual trust in the kid; show some real care and belief in his success and he'll blow your socks off. I'm more proud of the kid then you could ever know Tsu-chan. _

_ The kid's __also gotten much smarter Tsunade. When he actually applied what he knew to situation I gave him, the strategies he came up with were good and well thought out. His memory is much better as well. He may not be like that Nara kid, but he can plan ahead pretty well, instead of the multiple short on-the-fly plans he used to come up with. Right now if I was to play the kid seriously in shougi, four times out of ten he'd beat me, and he's getting better too. _

_ One thing I did __to help the kid more happened just after he turned fourteen. –'_

'_Why don't I like the sound of this?' _She thought to herself before continuing on. What she had read so far had left her speechless. To finally know exactly why he acted the way he did was a real eye opener. Sure, she did have her suspicions about his upbringing, but she honestly thought the way Naruto acted was partly due from a lack of attention to study when he was younger. Thinking back on it now though, it made complete sense. Also, looking back on all the times she spent with the brat made her feel somewhat guilty. If only she had known, she would have done so much more. But with the lack of knowing, getting settled into her position as Hokage for the first few months, plus reshaping the hospital, she felt that she didn't have the time. Pushing the guilt aside, she resolved that while it wasn't really an excuse, what's done had been done. Besides, she'll get the time to make it up to him. Maybe pay for a ramen binge and actually get to know the real Naruto? She brought her eyes back to the page.

_'-I felt that his education with the opposite sex could use a woman's touch. I may be the grandest pervert to ever grace the elemental nations, but even I knew that I wasn't the right person to teach the kid the birds and the bees.' _ Tsunade was gobsmacked at this, before she started roaring with laughter. To think he would actually admit something like this? Oh, she was SO going to remind him about this the next time she… She stopped laughing abruptly.

'_Wait a minute. If Jiraiya didn't teach him then…oh no…he didn't…' _She glued her eyes back to the page and read on.

_'So I took him to this one place that I usually visit. I took him there a couple of times, a couple of days here and there ... There's got to be something wrong with the kid, either that or he sticks to his morals better than a monk. On his first visit he told the girls there; and me, repeatedly I might add, that he would learn and listen, but he wouldn't take the hands on approach as I had suggested. Thanks to that and a few of the arguments between the two of us, the girls are now like sisters to the kid. They just adore the brat, and they dote on him like any older sister would. It was thanks to them that some of the inhibitions and habits he created; thanks to that pink haired student of yours, were gotten rid of. He isn't as dense when it comes to women anymore, but it'll take a bit for him to learn everything._

_ Even though he had learned a great__ deal during the last few years, most of the progress and maturity hadn't come together until a couple of months ago. I guess it just took time for the kid to adjust to so many changes and for them to cement themselves as the kid grew._

_ Another thing Tsunade. Naruto finally knows who his parents are.'_ That line made Tsunade's eyes widen. Did Naruto really progress so far that Jiraiya thought he was ready to know who they were? And how did he take it? Dying from the curiosity, she went back to the letter.

_'It happened after the Chairman had fixed and strengthened the kids seal. He and I were talking that night and the guy went down an avenue I knew would mean trouble for me. It had started out with him making a comment about how Naruto looked very much like Minato and asked if the two were related. The kid just HAD to be awake at the time. One thing leads to another and I ended up spilling to him about both his parents; that and the fact I was his godfather. The kid was so pissed he wouldn't talk and gave me the cold shoulder for a week.' _Tsunade shook her head at that last part, eyes filled with mirth.

'_Server you right you pervert. I wish I had been there to see the look on __your face.' _She thought with amusement. She shook her head before continuing to read.

_'Once he had calmed down later that week, he talked to me about it. When he had asked why I hadn't visited him when he was younger, I told him about having not only to look out for Akatsuki, but also looking for leads on Orochimaru. The kid was silent for a few minutes before he said that he believed that the reason why I didn't visit was because I was engrossed with my work. Since I had just lost Minato and that I probably wasn't ready yet to face some things I kept my mind off the pain by turning to my work as a distraction. He also said that in a sense, I was protecting him from afar at the very least. He left me speechless at that Tsunade! He said he was still pissed at me, but continued saying that he understood the situation from my viewpoint. Of course that was after punching me with a right hook that would do you proud. After that the priest came in, and gave Naruto the same invitation he gave Minato. As you're already thinking, of course the kid agreed._

_ It was at that time I felt that there was only one way to make it up to him. It helped that his progress made it possible; so I told him I would take him to Mt. Myobokuzan to train him in senjutsu arts. After a small demonstration and meeting the Ni Dai Gama Sennin, the kid was real interested. Though before we left, he told me that I had better not have made this decision based on trying to making it up to him for a past mistake. I had told him that I actually thought he was ready to take it on, of course with a large amount of training in control because we both knew he needed it._

_ Other than that there really isn't much else to say. About two weeks ago he started calling me Ero-sennin again, so I know things are patching up, but it will take some time before he fully forgives me. _

_Sincerely yours__, _

_Jiraiya_

Taking a small breather, Tsunade let everything just sink in. Looking at the clock she saw that she had about ten minutes left. After quickly rereading the letter twice more, she burned it. Seeing that she didn't have much time left, she destroyed both Jiraiya's sketch and searching seal before doing the same with the silencing seals. She made sure there wasn't a trace of the ashes left. Thinking back on what the letter said, she grew annoyed. Now she really couldn't wait till Naruto returned. Sure it would be another pair of months and then a small grace period but still.

Walking back to her office, preparing to go through more of today's paperwork, she thought of how she was going to break it to the others about Naruto's delayed return. She sat down and grabbed the first sheet, ready to sign. She then stopped right before the pen touched the paper. A sudden thought occurred to her as a tick of annoyance appeared on her forehead.

'_Damn it all, you pervert. __He completely forgot to tell me exactly what that application form was for!' _ She grumbled as she worked on the paperwork with a fury that would scare lesser men. It didn't help her male attendants that she unknowingly mumbled to herself on how she would punish the pervert. They couldn't get away fast enough for their tastes.

/

/ - At Mt. Myobokuzan - /

/

Mt. Myobokuzan, the home and refuge of all toad summons. Also called the wandering mountain, since it would usually take a month of searching just to find it. Even if you did find it, you had to be allowed entrance by the toads themselves. Now, within the toad's realm, there was a long, winding river were two men were. A boy and old man really, with two small, elderly toads on the river bank, watching the two. The old man was a bear of a man, his height easily passing six feet. He had a long mane of white hair, tied back in a thick ponytail. On his face, other than the wrinkles of old age, was a wart on the left side of his nose. Trailing down from below his eyes to his jaw were two thin red lines, one under each eye; both coal black. On his forehead was a metal plate with a pair of Oni-like horns on either side of the plate. The Kanji for 'oil' was emblazoned on the metal in black. He wore a red sleeveless over-coat with yellow circles on each shoulder. His hakama matched his pants in colour, each being a dull greyish green colour. Underneath that he wore a mesh shirt as under armour. Add in the geta he wore on his feet and you got a pretty memorable character. What Jiraiya didn't expect was for his look to make people think he was a Kabuki Theatre reject. In truth he thought he looked gallant, and attractive to the ladies.

The other one was much younger, around fifteen. This was Jiraiya's apprentice, Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. It was once just Uzumaki Naruto, but he added in his father's family name after being told who he was. While he was much shorter than his sensei, he was only about two or so inches below the man's chin; a definite growth spurt on the boy's part for the last two years. Right now the blonde was wearing a simple pair of black swim trunks, a white short-sleeved shirt and was barefoot. The Shodaime's necklace that Tsunade had given to him was around his neck. His modified forehead protector was fastened to his forehead, its longer black straps billowing in the wind as he stood on the water.

A couple minutes beforehand, the two were sparring when Jiraiya stopped, his eyes glazed over as he stared at nothing. Naruto, knowing that his teacher's kage-bunshin must have dispelled, waited till the info came through. He only grew slightly interested when his mentor gave a gasp of surprise before falling to his knees on top of the river. The man's eyes started to water before a pair of tears trailed down his cheeks; here Naruto grew concerned. Enough so he ran up to the man, knelt in front of him with a hand on his shoulder, and asked what was wrong. It took a moment for the large man to start talking since by this time he was starting to sob.

"I…I c-can't…my Kami…why did…" Naruto was able to discern only so much between the man's sobbing.

"Hey…calm yourself a bit sensei. I can't understand what your saying if you don't." He knew whatever happened had to be pretty horrible if his sensei was openly sobbing; it was enough of a commotion that both the elder toads and Gamakichi came over, wondering what was wrong. After telling them what he knew, practically nothing, both the elders took one of his shoulders each while Gamakichi stayed on the side. Once the man was able to calm his sobbing, the three toads and apprentice listened in, worried for there friend.

"It's Tsunade…she…I had to…" He sniffled a bit, taking out a tissue and blowing his nose. The others, curious at how this involved the fifth, coaxed him further.

"C'mon Jiraiya-chan, what happened? What does this have to do with Tsunade?" Fukasaku urged him, like a parent trying to coax an answer from a bawling child. Naruto, from his point, was worried. What, concerning his Baa-chan, would be so bad that he'd be crying?

"…I…" the man said in a small voice. The others leaned in, hoping to hear the truth.

"… I had…" They leaned in further.

"…I HAD TSUNADE BURN ONE OF MY NOVELS!" After his outburst, Jiraiya started to openly weep once more, his hand covering his face. The others, getting over their shock at the man's shout, took a moment to process what was said. Tick marks appeared without restraint before they yelled in unison.

"**YOU BAKA/ERO-SENNIN!**" The toads and boy exclaimed respectively as all four of them drove a fist into the man's skull, sending him into the water. Seeing this as a break, Naruto went over to the bank with the toads and sat down for a bit, waiting for his mentor to come out from the river. As he waited, he thought on what his training trip had been like.

'_These last few years have been real good to me__... Looking back, I'm actually glad that Jiraiya-sensei is waiting till my chakra stabilises some before teaching me senjutsu. Sure I was a bit annoyed at first about all the chakra control I had to do, but I find it kind of fun, trying to make up my own exorcises…or at least my clones coming up with them. If he had tried these two years ago, I probably would have made it hell on earth for the man. Besides, he's got the real me, me of course, doing Taijutsu and a bit of strategy games so it's not all that bad. As a plus, I was able to fix some of the problems I had while using the Rasengan. It surprised me to know that it was an incomplete technique…I can't wait till I can actually try and complete it! Just you wait old man, I'll surpass you yet!' _That last thought brought a smile to the boy's face. His thoughts would have continued if he wasn't hit in the face with a ball of mud. Scrambling back up from his back while wiping his face, he saw Jiraiya on the river with a smirk on his face. Wiping the mud from his face, Naruto got up. His eyes determined, and a smirk of his own, he ran onto the river starting another impromptu taijutsu fight between sensei and pupil.

The elders for there part simply watched on as the two ningen traded blows, while also giving witty remarks here and there. Fukasaku turned to his wife as Naruto redirected one of Jiraiya's punches.

"That boy…he really is an unpredictable one, isn't he Ma?" The female toad turned to her husband then looked back at the two before answering.

"You're right on that Pa. I heard much about the gaki from 'bunta and 'kichi, but I couldn't really believe them till Jiraiya-chan introduced us to him. Kind of reminds you of when he was teaching Minato as a brat, huh Pa?" Pa confirmed with a nod as he smiled.

"Yep. It's a real shame that boy died when he did. He still had so much to experience in life. Never did get the chance to learn Senjutsu himself. If the Kyuubi hadn't attacked, maybe Minato would have learned it, and be here as well helping his son learn the ropes. Oh well, can't change the past." Ma nodded.

"That's right. Once this month is over, we'll both help the kid learn senjutsu and make Minato proud of him." Her thoughts shifted gears. "I can understand why Jiraiya would want to teach him senjutsu though. Akatsuki…they sound real dangerous; a group that Naruto will need all the training he can get to take them on. I wonder if he'll surpass little Jiraiya in the art?" Pa made a grunt as he put his webbed hand on his chin, thinking on his wife's question. Once done, he looked at the blonde as he sparred with the Sennin. He nodded, as if to himself before speaking.

"I know he'll go far with Senjutsu Ma, he is the prophesised child after all. I don't think he'll just surpass Jiraiya in the art, that brat will be in a league all his own. Who knows, he might even master the art!" He said with enthusiasm while stroking his beard. Ma nodded before brining up a new topic.

"That may be, but until then he's still a small tadpole. It's a good thing that Naruto-chan is taking the same opportunity Minato took. Being where it is, it's the safest place for him to be. Those from Akatsuki would have to pass though this mountain before being able to follow the gaki. It's the perfect plan to let the kid grow without them breathing down his neck." She looked up suddenly, her eyes in a slight panic. "Dah! We've been here so long we've missed lunch! I'll go start something quick!" She called over her shoulder as she hopped away. Fukasaku could only look on, a sweat drop forming as he watched his wife hop away, worried about making a late lunch. He shook his head before looking back at the pair still sparring on the river.

'_Ma was right. While the gaki has made exceptional progress and growth these past __few months, he's still a tadpole. The kid has a long way to go…' _His thoughts ended as Naruto was caught by Jiraiya's roundhouse kick to the face. The hit sent him cart-wheeling in the elder toad's direction. Wanting to stop the boy before he headed face first into the boulder behind him, he caught the boy by his upper arm as he passed. Pa could only sign as he looked at the boy's face; his eye's a pair of swirls as he mumbled incoherently.

'_A long way to go indeed__...'_

/

/ Time-skip - 2 months /

/

For Naruto, the past two months seemed to have flown by. His mind was elsewhere though. Right now he was wiping off imaginary dust off his…uniform, for lack of better term. It reminded him of the business suits some of the guys in high end businesses would wear. The pants were a light brown, nearing a dark tan colour. The belt was a simple one; made of dark brown leather with a brass coloured metal buckle. His shirt was a white, long sleeved collared button-up shirt. It felt kind of weird having to tuck it under his pants though. His tie was pure red in colour; it took him the better part of an hour just wrestling with the thing before he asked Jiraiya for help. Half an hour of practice later, he could tie it satisfactorily. The Shodaime's necklace was tucked underneath the shirt, hidden away from the world.

Over his shirt was a green overcoat with two buttons in the lower front, holding it together. It had three pockets; one on the left side of his chest while the other two were near the bottom, same as his old jump-suits. On both sides there was a small bit of white trim; starting from the tips of the 'wings', as he dubbed them, and going all the way to the bottom. It was designed to show off the collard part of his shirt and his red tie, for a contrast in colour. Now, the tie he could deal with; the multiple layers he could live with as long as the weather was nice; what he really didn't like about the uniform were the…shoes, if he recalled correctly.

What he wore on his feet truly confused him. Made of black leather, they completely covered his feet. Oh, his feet were snug and somewhat comfortable, thanks to the socks he wore, but they were really awkward to walk around in at first. There were no laces, no Velcro straps; they just slipped on. They were so limiting; they actually hurt his feet when he tried to crouch and leap from tree to tree. He was so used to his open-toed sandals and the freedom they gave; he never thought he'd have to wear these…oddities on his feet. When he described this to Jiraiya and the elder toads they simply laughed, saying how that was what the exact words his father used to describe them. He simply grumbled that they wouldn't be laughing if they had to wear them.

Jiraiya had thrown an unexpected fast ball at Naruto when he told the boy that what he was wearing was actually the same set his father wore; except the shoes, those were new. Naruto at the time, for once was struck speechless. To think he was actually wearing one of the few mementos of his father… he had hugged the man so tight Jiraiya thought her heard his back crack in two spots. When Naruto had asked why it looked grand-spanking new when it was so old, the Gama Sennin had only said that it was the material.

By the blonde's feet were a pair of bags, both gifts from his mentor. He received them when he got the uniform the day before. One was a large, black duffle bag, filled with extra sets of his uniform, undergarments, toiletries and sweatpants for when he slept. The other bag was smaller, meant to be carried by hand and not over the shoulder. It had three compartments. One large one in the middle taking up the entire bag itself, with the other two on the front, both of equal size. The large compartment was covered by a sheet of material the same as the bag; connected to the back. It stretched over the opening and was held tight by a pair of clips sowed on the bag below the two smaller compartments, which were coincidentally covered by the strap as well.

The sides of the bag looked to be folded together in a zigzag pattern, telling Naruto that the bag could be stretched a bit if needed. The handle was conveniently placed on top of the strap, making it all the easier to carry around. Naruto felt that he should recognize this kind of bag from somewhere, but for the life of him the answer would not appear. The old pervert had told him that they could be considered late birthday presents, one for each birthday. The Sennin swore that Naruto was related to Tsunade somehow, because there was no way the brat could have nearly broken his back by hugging him.

Right now Naruto, Jiraiya and the Ni Dai Gama Sennin were waiting in a medium-sized clearing, hidden away from most of the world. It was early in the morning, about 7 AM. Naruto had noted that the clearing was in the shape of a large circle, as well as completely flat when they first entered. The clearing itself was nearly fifty yards wide. A large group of short ferns grew in the center, while the outer 'ring' of the clearing was bare, not a plant in sight. The band was over three yards wide. On the other side of the clearing from whence they had entered, a large dark cave twice Jiraiya's height loomed over the group as they neared it. On the right side near the entrance of the cave was a small wooden bench, long enough for two people to sit on. Beside that was a tall thin wooden post taller than Jiraiya, with a wooden sign painted in red with the inlayed kanji for 'Stop' painted in white. As the two men sat on the bench, with the toad elders on Jiraiya's shoulders, the three elders ran over some last minute advice for the boy.

"Now, besides being on your best behaviour where ever you're going, you're going to have to hide your forehead protector and before you ask, Minato had to do the same thing when he went. Besides, you don't have to leave it behind, just keep it hidden in your duffle bag. And as we told you last night, the Chairman prohibited you from bringing any of your kunai or shuriken, so we'll hold onto them for you here." Naruto nodded as Jiraiya gave him his advice. He was a bit miffed about having to hide his forehead protector, but he could deal. Since he didn't like how his bangs would hang in front of his eyes, he took a white strip of cloth and used it as a replacement headband for the time being. He cued in as his mentor continued.

"Also, while you're there, unless told otherwise by the Chairman or the situation specifically calls for it; don't use your shinobi skills like your ninjutsu or senjutsu. You can use chakra; but do it as discretely as possible." Naruto nodded at that, recalling that when the priest had spoken to him about the conditions for accepting this offer. He wondered why he was prohibited from using any ninjutsu, but chalked it up to the man either wanting secrecy, or as a set challenge. He turned to Ma toad when she cleared her throat, getting his attention.

"Now you be careful Naruto-chan; and remember, don't intentionally pick fights with whoever you meet over there ya hear?" She told the boy while waving a single finger at him.

"Yes Ma, I'll remember. But I'll fight if it comes looking for me though." He replied with a smile, making Ma sigh before shaking her head ruefully with a smile. Pa gave a nod while making an impressed grunt from the back of his throat.

"A good answer my boy, a good answer. Just remember not to get in over your head gaki. There's nothing wrong with leaving the situation if needed. It isn't cowardly; you're just making a tactical retreat before heading back in."

"Hear ya loud and clear Pa." Naruto really liked the elder toads. They may be much older than Sarutobi-ojisan; Kami bless his soul, but these two had spunk. They kept Naruto on his toes whenever they bantered for fun, especially Fukasaku. His attention was brought back to his mentor when he placed a hand on his shoulder. Seeing the seriousness in his face told him it was business.

"Now Naruto, under no circumstances what. So. EVER. Are you to use 'that' jutsu unless you have NO other choice. You may have made exceptional progress during the last month and did something even the forth couldn't, but you still haven't mastered it yet. Also just remember not to give out information you shouldn't, got it gaki?" The boy's face was just as serious as the older man's; his eyes virtually glowed with his determination.

"I understand you perfectly Ero-sennin. Hopefully I'll have it finished before the time comes where I'll need to use it." Jiraiya nodded his head, accepting the answer. Before anyone else could speak, their attention was brought to the cave entrance by an odd rumbling sound. The entrance glowed with a myriad of colours before a large metal…box on wheels drove out. As it drove around the clearing on the plant-less path, it answered Naruto's silent question as to why there was that path in the first place. It slowed as it neared the group, giving them a good look at it.

It was tall, taller than the stop sigh if only by a few inches. The wheels brought the bottom of the…thing over half a foot above the ground. Its corners were rounded, and by looking at it, Naruto could tell that it was made from multiple pieces of metal. The sound it made was loud and deep. He could feel his chest resonating from it; it was the most peculiar feeling. There were two large windows in the front of the thing, while the windows on the sides were a bit shorter; each one elevated to match with the top of the front ones. Somehow, either thanks to the sunlight or something on them, the windows were tinted and thus, unable to see through from the outside. Also on the front were a couple side view mirrors beside each of the front windows. The front itself protruded from the main body under the front windows; the front wheels were underneath it as well. The very front of it was flat, with a large piece of metal with long vertical slots shining in the morning sun. Lastly, it was coloured a dull golden-yellow, with a dull green on the front protrusion. Overall, Naruto thought it looked pretty cool; though it didn't have anything on the train he saw back in Yuki no kuni. As it stopped in front of them, Naruto quietly asked the burning question on his mind.

"Ne, Ero-sennin. What is that thing?" The man answered quickly, but he seemed somewhat distracted to Naruto. He and the toad elders were down memory lane for the moment, thinking of when Minato had taken this exact same vehicle when he was Naruto's age.

"It's called a bus Naruto." It was a simple answer, and it was all Naruto wanted. As he turned back to the…bus, as it just stopped, he noticed what looked to be folding doors on the side. His thoughts proved true when the doors folded open to the front of the bus, showing the driver. Just before he stepped out, he spoke in a quiet, yet creepy voice that 'he would be back in a moment' to someone they couldn't see on the bus. The voice sent a small chill up the blonde's spine, but he shook it off easily, he'd been through worse.

When the driver stepped out, Naruto was a little unnerved. It wasn't because of the man's uniform. It was like his only the pants, overcoat and tie where all the same shade of dark blue. Plus, the sleeves near the wrist on the man's overcoat had three cufflinks where Naruto's didn't. The only other difference was that the man wore white gloves on his hands and wore a cap that was the same shade of blue as his suit. No, what unnerved the boy where the man's eyes under the visor of the cap. They practically glowed a bright yellow. He couldn't see anything else of the top half of the man's face since the cap hid it in shadow. His odd moustache and smile only added to the look. Naruto had to give it to the man, he sure knew how to look intimidating. In the man's hand was a cigar that he brought up to his mouth before taking a long drag. He slowly blew out smoke as silence reined. It was Jiraiya that spoke first.

"…It's been a long time since I last saw you, and you look like you haven't aged a day." He smiled as he looked at the shorter man. Said man simply chuckled before answering.

"_**You must mean my father. I've heard a bit about you from him after I took over for him over a decade ago… Sannin no Jiraiya of Konohagakure.**_" He smiled, nodding in the larger man's direction before taking another puff from his cigar. Naruto felt another chill go up his spine but crushed it while looking at the man. He seemed alright to the blond. Once you got past his voice and intimidating visage, you could tell the man had a good aura about him. Jiraiya for his part only raised his eyebrows before scratching the back of his head.

"Hehe, sorry 'bout the mix up. So how is the old man doing? Good I hope." The driver gave another nod before looking towards Naruto. He looked at the boy before speaking.

"_**So…is this the one the Chairman wanted me to…pick up?**_" Another chill went up Naruto's spine, but he could tell it was noticeably smaller, meaning he was already getting used to the man. As he grabbed his bags, Ma nodded.

"You bet he is. Do you see any other blondes around?" She asked with a smile. The driver chuckled, liking the humour. Pa turned to Naruto.

"Well gaki, this is it. Go and get on." Naruto nodded smiling.

"Don't go croaking on me before I get back, got it you old goat?" Pa matched Naruto's playful smirk with his own.

"I'd be more worried about surviving this training gaki. Who knows, you could actually die while in the middle of it." The two shared a laugh before the blonde turned to his mentor. His arms crossed over his chest, he stood tall and proud, looking at his latest apprentice. He gives the boy a nod.

"Come on kid, times a wastin'. Get moving already." Naruto smiled back before turning, walking towards the open doors of the bus. Jiraiya suddenly remembered something.

"Oi, gaki. Hold up a moment." Stopping before he took the first step, said gaki looked back at his mentor. Seeing the questioning look sent at him, the hermit pulls out two scrolls. He then hands them to Naruto.

"Now, the first scroll, the one addressed to you; don't open it until you've gotten settled and are alone alright?" Seeing the boy nod he continued. "The other one is for the Chairman. Give that to him A.S.A.P. got it? Good, now get going." Sending a mock glare at the pervert, he tucks both scrolls into his side bag while the other he puts into his pant pocket before looking back at his three current teachers.

"Thanks Ero-sennin. I'll see you guys soon enough." He then turns and steps up onto the bus, followed immediately by the driver. As the three watch the doors close, they speak to each other.

"You think he'll do alright Pa" She asked looking at Fukasaku.

"Of course he will Ma. We trained him well. He should have no problem where he's going." They watched as the bus revved up, before starting to move forward. As the bus leaves, they see a small glimpse of Naruto waving at them. They wave in return as the lone hermit spoke up.

"If that gaki is anything like Minato, he'll do just fine. He is his father's son after all." The elders nodded in unison to the hermit's words. After the bus was out of sight, Jiraiya turned to leave; the toads hitching a free ride on his shoulders. For the life of him though, Jiraiya couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something… Ma soon remembers something important. She tapped Jiraiya's head to get his attention.

"Jiraiya-chan, you did remember to tell Naruto what he'll be expecting when he get's there right?" She asked as she gave him a pointed look. It finally dawned on the man what he had forgotten about. As he chuckled nervously, he tried to ignore the glare Ma was sending him.

"Well…uh…you see…"The clearing was soon filled with the sound of someone getting hit on the head plus yells and exclamations of 'Baka'.

/

/ Scene change - Bus, minutes prior /

/

As Naruto walked up the steps, he took in his surroundings as he moved to give room for the driver behind him. He saw a lot of empty, cushioned seats; all the same brown colour. There were only about eight or nine rows altogether. Unlike when he was outside, he could actually see through the windows; seeing his mentors talking outside on his right. Looking forward again he saw the person the driver was speaking to before he got off when he first arrived. It was a boy his age, wearing the same uniform as him; he was seating on the right side, about four rows down. He looked somewhat nervous at first, but after giving the guy a wave in greeting, the guy calmed down. He looked like a regular teen; somewhat spiky brown hair, cut short so it didn't go past his ears and clear brown eyes. As he moved towards the boy, he called out to him.

"Yo, I was wondering who the driver was talking to when he first got here." The blond took the seat right in front of the kid, in the third row. The brown-haired boy was sitting near the window, so Naruto sat on the inside portion of his bus seat, his bags near the window. The guy gave a smile while nodding to Naruto.

"Yeah, when the driver originally told me we had to make another stop I wondered who he was picking up." The bus soon began to rev up. Naruto craned his neck around to look at the driver. Seeing the man wave through the overhead mirror, Naruto waves in return before turning back around.

"Yeah, I would be too. By the way, names Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." He smiled as he put a hand forward, waiting to shake it. The other kid returned the gesture.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tsukune, Aono Tsukune." And just like that, a new friendship was made. As the bus was leaving, Naruto turned to the window, waving at the pervert and toads with a big smile. Seeing them wave in return made his smile grow. He stopped after they disappeared from sight as they traveled though the dark tunnel. Before the boys could start up another conversation, the driver got their attention.

"_**So…are the two of you the new… students?**_" He asked simply with a drawl of sorts as he spoke. Just hearing his voice gave Tsukune bad vibes as chills went up his back. Looking at his newest friend, he was stumped to find him cool as a cucumber. Remembering the question, he nods with Naruto. The driver chuckled as he drives on, further freaking out Tsukune. Looking at Naruto, his thoughts raced.

'_How could he not be intimidated by this guy? I'm nearly shaking like a leaf while he looks __like he's known the man for years!'_ As he continued to fathom the blonde's bravery, the driver spoke up.

"_**Oh…I was only wondering, since the place we're going can be very…frightening. And for a couple of boys like you two…dangerous even…**_" He chuckled again, amused by the boys different reactions. Tsukune looked close to having a panic attack while Naruto was calm. He also had a determined look on his face as he smiled at the driver.

"It doesn't matter how dangerous it is over there. We can handle whatever is thrown at us." Looking at them, the driver was impressed at the blonde's words, for they seemed to drain most if not all the fear from Tsukune. He chuckled again as he saw a small white spec grow larger in the distance. Naruto brought up a question that had been bugging him ever since he had met the 'Chairman'. He was so focused lately with his training and excited about today that he had forgotten till now.

"By the way, Driver-san. Where exactly are we going anyway?" Tsukune gave a puzzled look at the blonde. Didn't he read the application form when he signed it? Apparently not. The driver just chuckled again, still making Tsukune flinch, but it wasn't as noticeable as before. The previously white spec was now big enough for the pair to see from where they sat.

"_**Why…don't you know? ...Where we're headed…is Youkai Academy.**_" The boys covered their eyes as they passed though the light.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone, Happy New Year! To start off this year I present the second chapter of Konoha Gaiden: Naruto + Youkai Gakuen. I thank everyone who has sent reviews, I enjoy reading such positive comments. As for updating, like many other authors on Fanfiction . (net), I'm attending school, though right now I'm on holidays. Also, having a part time job is a necessity to help pay for my education so there goes a couple hours of my time. While I will try to post a chapter per month, I make no promises. Life is chaotic like that._

_Now an almost constant question had to deal with Pairings. A couple things, one: Naruto will not be paired with **ANY** canon characters of the Naruto-verse; two: he will not be paired with **ANY** canon characters of the Rosario-verse. Three: part of the inspiration for this story deals with trying something that not one author, to my knowledge, on this site has attempted. As for what that is exactly, read on and you will see..._

_Disclaimer: Again, anyone recognised as part of any known franchise I DO NOT own in any fashion._

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_Konoha Gaiden: Naruto + Youkai Gakuen_

Chapter 2

The day had a calm, passive feel to it. It was late summer, around September, with clear blue skies and warm temperatures. Loose leaves fluttered in the air as they danced on the current. The sun shone brightly on the countryside. Between the rice patties was a wide road, fit for both everyday walkers and the occasional vehicle. Today proved no different as a bus drove down the path. It was an ordinary school bus, large and coloured a dull gold. It drove at a moderate pace, its driver being in no rush to get to his destination.

The driver himself wasn't all that remarkable for the most part. Nothing was wrong with his uniform. His collared shirt was bleach white, with no apparent stains or tears. His tie, overcoat and trousers were all the same faded, dark blue colour. His shoes were a dark brown, and he wore white gloves. To complete the ensemble he wore a cap, the same shade of blue to match his uniform.

What differed from most was that his cap created a perpetual shadow covering the top portion of the driver's face. Everything under the cheek line was open for the world to see. His eyes were what brought the most attention to this man however. Within the shroud of mysterious shadow his yellow eyes shone like beacons in the dark of night. Between his intimidating visage, and his creepy voice; the driver's only passenger couldn't help but get chills from the man.

The passenger was a young teenage boy of fifteen years. He had medium length brown hair that spiked slightly in the front and behind the ears. Some bangs fell over his forehead, reaching just past his eyebrows. The rest flowed towards the back of the boys head. His eyes were a clear brown and had a regular build. All in all, the boy was just another regular fifteen year old kid. He wore a uniform akin to the driver's, but had a few key differences. The first, besides the lack of cap, was that his trousers, overcoat and tie were all separate colours. The trousers were a light brown, lighter than his shoes. His overcoat was a shade of green that looked to have a slight blue tint to it. His tie was an even red, giving a distinguished look to the boy. Also unlike the driver, the boy's sleeves lacked cufflinks near the wrists. All together, a typical male school uniform.

He was sitting on the right side of the bus, near the window in a seat on the fourth row. His bags beside him, he looked out the window, watching the landscape pass by as the bus drove onward. He had placed his elbow on the window-sill, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. As the bus passed a trio of girls riding their bikes in the opposing direction, he thought back to how he got into this situation.

'_My name is Aono Tsukune, age__: fifteen. I'm just an ordinary, mediocre boy; my grades all around C's .Plus I really don't have any specialties. Despite that, I never thought I would have flunked the high school entrance exam. It was all thanks to my tou-san that I'm even going to high school in the first place. It's weird though, how a random priest would give him an application form out of the blue. Oh well, I'm not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth. I get my chance to attend high school, even if it's a private academy in the middle of nowhere.'_ He was interrupted from his thoughts by a ringing sound from his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out a pink cell phone. Flipping it open, he checked to see who it was from. After pressing a button, he brought the top end to his ear.

"Ahh, moshi moshi, Kyo-chan?" His question was immediately replied to.

"Ah, Tsuki. I heard it from my aunt. Are you going to attend _that_ academy?" The voice coming from the phone was clearly that of a girl. He had a small laugh at her tone before answering.

"…yeah, I am." He smiled softly. She always was looking out for him, and was quick to answer.

"Well, since it is the school that my favoured cousin is attending, I did a little research on it." Tsukune shook his head at that. Ever since they were little, she worried about him, maybe a little too much.

"That school…-" Her voice was cut off as the bus entered a tunnel, and the phone connection was lost.

"Ehh? Kyo-chan? Oi, Kyo-chan! …Huh, that's weird." Now Tsukune was confused. He's talked to people before while going through tunnels; yet nothing like this had happened before. At the front of the bus, he heard the static of the driver's com link radio. Watching him pick it up, he strained his hearing to listen to the conversation, but for the life of him, he couldn't hear a thing. As the driver put the receiver back up, Tsukune watched as the man looked at him through the mirror. He flinched. He just couldn't help himself; the driver's eyes just freaked the hell out of him.

"_**There'**__**s been a small change of… plans…" **_That voice sent chills down the boy's spine. Once he got himself under control, he thought over what the man had said. Thinking of what the implications could be, his eyes widened.

"Wh-what do you mean? Aren't we still going to the Academy?" In the boy's mind his thoughts were racing around everywhere. Was this all a trick? Was someone after him? What if-

"_**Hehe… now don't get carried away there… We're still heading to the Academy… I've just got a call to pick up someone… else. Don't you worry… too much… It'll go by quick." **_The driver's chuckle had brought Tsukune out of his thoughts. But the man had to admit, it was a little amusing to see the child's reactions. He chuckled again as he saw the end of the tunnel ahead of them.

As they passed through, Tsukune closed his eyes on instinct; not wanting the stark change in lighting hurt his eyes. Opening them, he stared out the window; awed at the world he just entered. The vegetation around him was unlike any the boy had come across before. The sight was breathtaking. The greenery reminded him of the tropical forests he had read about before. But this didn't make sense. He'd never seen anything like this around Japan. He new what was supposed to be on the other side of the tunnel, and it wasn't this. Before he could think further, the bus came to a stop in front of the tunnel. Before he could move from his spot, the driver opened the bus doors and called back to him.

"_**Now… just wait here… I'll be back in just a moment."**_ And without further ado, the driver stepped off the bus. Gathering his wits, Tsukune looked out the window again. Seeing no one on his side, he got up and went to the other. Looking outside he saw the driver talking with two other people.

The first he immediately noticed was almost literally a _bear_ of a man. He was clearly more than a foot taller than the driver; he'd barely have to crane his neck to speak to someone at the window! What's more, the man looked to be nearly _twice_ the width from shoulder to shoulder! He never knew a man could get so large. He could tell the man was old though, thanks to what wrinkles he could see, the wart on his nose and the long grey hair.

There was one thing that bugged him though; why exactly did the man dress like he did? He looked more like a Kabuki theatre reject than anything else. Also, were those actual toads on the man's shoulders? He could understand the red lines on his face since they took away some attention from the man's state of dress, but seriously; _toads? _To save himself the headache, Tsukune turned to the other person, which happened to be a boy around his age. Seeing that the guy wore the same uniform as he did, it wasn't hard for Tsukune to tell he was the person the driver spoke about earlier.

The guy's hair was blonde, a really bright, golden blonde. He noticed that he wore a white headband, keeping the bangs from his eyes. Speaking of eyes, Tsukune took note that the pair was a deep cerulean, a very rare colour. Sure, he'd seen people before with blue eyes, but this was the first time he saw a pair that were a cerulean shade. They looked cool in his opinion.

Looking at the boy's cheeks he saw the most peculiar birth marks. Three simple lines on each cheek, reminiscent of whiskers. Tsukune soon returned to his seat, seeing as both the blonde and the driver were going to get on. It took a bit longer than expected, but the blonde soon got on, followed by the driver getting to his seat.

He watched as the blonde looked around a bit, as if the guy had never been on a bus before. Tsukune was a bit nervous though, wondering what he was like. As the blonde turned to him, he smiled and waved as he made his way forward.

"Yo, I was wondering who the driver was talking to when he first got here." The blonde took the seat right in front Tsukune, in the third row. He placed his bags by the window first, before taking a seat facing the other boy. Tsukune felt his nerves settle; the blonde didn't seem all that bad. He gave the blonde a nod.

"Yeah, when the driver originally told me we had to make another stop I was curious as to whom he was picking up." The bus started to rev up. Tsukune observed as the blonde turned to the front, only to return the driver's wave. He turned back to Tsukune before speaking.

"Yeah, I would be too. By the way, names Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." He smiled as he put his hand forward. Tsukune smiled in return, thankful that he wouldn't have to refer to Naruto as simply 'the blonde kid'. He grabbed Naruto's hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tsukune, Aono Tsukune." And just like that, a new friendship was made. As the bus started to move, Naruto moved over to the other side waving back to the man with the shouldered toads. Tsukune saw the three outside return the wave before disappearing from sight as the bus entered the cave. Naruto sat back down in front of Tsukune. He was about to speak when the driver spoke up.

"_**So…are the two of you the new… students?**_" Tsukune shivered as chills raced up and down his back; the driver still freaked the hell out of him. As he looked at his newest friend, he was stumped to see the blond cool as a cucumber, as if he was already used to the man. Remembering the question he nodded affirmatively with Naruto. He flinches again as the driver chuckled, as if amused by their answer. His thoughts raced as he looked at the calm blonde.

'_How could he not be intimidated by this guy? I'm nearly shaking like a leaf while he looks __like he's known the man for years!'_ As he continued to ponder the blonde's bravery, the driver spoke up.

"_**Oh…I was only wondering, since the place we're going can be very…frightening. And for a couple of boys like you two…dangerous even…**_" He chuckled ominously again as he observed the boy's sitting behind him. The driver could almost say that it was painfully easy, as well as amusing, to freak the hell out of Tsukune. He looked like he was about to have a personal meltdown soon. The blonde on the other hand, just sat there with a small smile on his face, calm as ever. His cerulean eyes danced with amusement before being replaced by determination as the smile grew.

"It doesn't matter how dangerous it is over there. We can handle whatever is thrown at us." Looking at them, the driver was impressed at the blonde's words, for they seemed to drain most if not all the fear from Tsukune. He chuckled again as he saw a small white speck grow larger in the distance. It wouldn't be much longer now.

"By the way, Driver-san. Where exactly are we going anyway?" Tsukune had a confused look on his face, giving a puzzled look at the blonde. Hadn't he read the application form when he signed it? Apparently not. The driver just chuckled again, still making Tsukune flinch, but it wasn't as noticeable as before. The speck was now big enough for the two boys to see from where they sat.

"_**Why…don't you know? ...Where we're headed…is Youkai Academy.**_" The boys covered their eyes as they passed through the light. Quickly recovering, they lowered their arms. Looking outside from the windows, both boys looked on curiously, with a small bit of nervousness on Tsukune's part. To him, the place looked like it was a set for a horror movie. Dark, ominous clouds stretched over the sky, as if hogging it to itself. Not a speck of blue could be found no matter which way either boy looked. To the left was a dead forest. None of the trees looked to have borne a leaf for years if not decades. To the right was a cliff, overlooking a great sea of near crimson waters. The bus made a small U-turn before stopping in front of a large, dead tree.

As the pair got off the bus, an odd scarecrow greeted them. It was made simply; its body was a sign while its arms were made from a single pole tied horizontally with a glove on either end for hands. Around the shoulders was an old tattered black cape, with a red underside the fluttered as the wind blew. To finish it off, the head was a pumpkin with upside down crescents for eyes and a thin but stretched smile. To Naruto, looking at the sign-made-scarecrow somehow reminded him of his chronically late sensei Kakashi. He didn't know why, it just did. Maybe it was the eyes?

"It's like a completely different world before entering the tunnel." Tsukune spoke as he stared at the sign. He had muttered it more to himself than anything, yet both the driver and Naruto heard him nonetheless.

"Yeah I know what you mean. This place… it's so different from home." Naruto spoke up while strapping his duffle bag over his shoulder. The unexpected answer made Tsukune jump a little, but seeing as it was Naruto who spoke, he calmed down. Looking off in the distance, Naruto saw the faint outline of a building.

"Huh, that must be the Academy, I take it?" As Tsukune was adjusting the straps to his backpack, he looked towards where the blonde was staring.

"Don't tell me it's all the way there…" His shoulders sagged slightly seeing the distance they'd have to cover. He felt a hand on his shoulder; looking over he met Naruto's smiling face.

"Hey, it won't be that bad. It only looks about a mile or two away. Who knows, it might be even shorter. The sooner you start walking, the sooner you get there, right?" Matching his smile, Tsukune nodded as his earlier doubts disappeared. The pair was just about to set off, when the driver got their attention.

"_**Hold on a second…**__**there's something I've got to… tell you, Blondie…"**_ While Tsukune flinched again at the driver's voice, Naruto frowned, none too pleased with the nickname. Knowing that the man was only joking though, he stopped. He nodded to the man before turning to Tsukune.

"Go on ahead; I'll catch up after talking to the driver." Tsukune looked unsure, his gaze switched between Naruto and the path ahead of them. Seeing his friend's doubt, he punched the boy's shoulder playfully as he smiled.

"You'll be fine Tsukune; we've got plenty of time. I bet by the time you get there, we'll still have another half-hour before the Academy starts. So get going or you'll never get there, trust me on this .You don't want to be late on your first day right?" Seeing that he wasn't moving, Naruto stepped behind the boy, turned him towards the school and started pushing. Tsukune laughed at the blonde's antics as he tried to get Naruto to stop.

"Ok, ok I get it. I'll get going. Just make sure you catch up alright?" The blonde gave him a thumbs up before stepping back. Tsukune nodded to him before moving forward towards the Academy on his own. Little did he know he wouldn't be alone for long…

As he walked down the path his eyes wondered the scenery, taking in all he could. At first, he was freaked out by the tombstones around him, eerie yellow light shining through the branches. The odd caw from a crow and the feeling of being watched only added to it. But for the most part, the forest actually seemed kind of peaceful; which surprised him. He thought it would be a harder walk by himself than this. He suddenly remembered something important.

"Oh yeah, I still need to call Kyo-chan back before anything else." He pulled out his phone and dialled the number before putting it to his ear. Not getting a connection he became confused.

"That's weird; it worked before entering the tunnel…" He sighed as he put the phone away, and then began his trek once more. He still found it strange though; he hadn't seen another person on the path in front of him. Looking behind, he couldn't see where he had originally entered. It dawned on him that, besides the crows and odd raven in the trees, he was completely alone here. Before doubt and fear could take him, he remembered Naruto's words.

'_Now that I think about it, Naruto __didn't look all that freaked out by the area at all. I just gotta think positive and I'll be fine. And hey, I'm making good time…I think. The Academy should be down THIS path…right? Besides, it's not like I'll just crash into someone… right?'_ His thoughts were interrupted by an odd sound. It was a strange squeaking sound; with a metallic ring to it. Looking around he couldn't find the source. He could tell that it was getting closer, however. He started to jog down the path, wondering what the sound was.

"It's… it's getting louder." He stopped before a small ledge, looking around when the sound stopped. Thinking the source was behind him, he waited before suddenly turning around. All he found, to his relief was a bat flying in the sky. It was weird though; did the bat just say 'chuuu-?'

His relief was short-lived as something completely ran him over from behind. Somehow, the impact gave Tsukune the momentum needed to spin around and grab onto whatever crashed into him as he fell to the ground. He wasn't knocked out, just in pain with the sound of a spinning bicycle tire in his ears. No big deal. He breathed deeply, trying to get his bearings. It would have helped had his eyes not been closed. He placed his hand on something soft, warm and round as he tried to get up. A sudden gasp shocked him enough that he finally opened his eyes. What he saw would be etched into his memory for as long as he lived.

The girl in front of him had to be the cutest girl he ever had the honour of laying eyes on. In his daze of admiration, he noted that she had the oddest of hair colours, but it somehow seemed to fit her in his opinion. Her hair was a deep shade of bubblegum pink and it looked completely natural, unlike those fake dyes he had heard about. Looking at her face, he noted that she had a blush that nearly matched the shade of her hair. He still hadn't noticed where his hand was.

"I'm sorry. My anaemia began acting up and I couldn't see." She spoke softly as she opened her eyes, displaying the purest shade of green to ever make contact with his plain brown ones. The air seemed to shimmer as they stared at one another; Tsukune blushing despite himself. He just couldn't tear his eyes away… the phrase 'She's so cute…' playing like a broken record in his head.

She gave a small cry as she noted where his hand was, closing her legs together, indirectly bringing his hand further up her thigh. At last noticing where his hand was, he stared at it before removing it, placing it behind his head and waving the other in front of him, as if trying to ward off her impending wrath. He soon fell back, exclaiming apologies as he flailed his arms around him. All the girl did was stare at him. He stopped flailing when he felt something warm dribble from his nose. Tsukune brought a hand to his face, finding blood on his fingers. He stared at his blood, his mind not really acknowledging it as the girl started to panic.

"Oh my, blood is coming out." She instantly reacted, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a handkerchief, drawing Tsukune's attention from his hand. He blushed again as the girl got in close, about to wipe the blood away from his face. Breathing in she stopped, a blush flaring up on her cheeks.

"No good, this scent… my body is…" She mumbled as she brought her hand close to her chest. Tsukune wondered what she meant by scent before taking a whiff of her hair. He couldn't stop the blush or his smile as he thought about how good her hair smelled to him. She brought him to reality when she placed a hand on either side of his face.

"Sorry, because I'm a… vampire!" ~ She didn't give him a chance to think as she moved in towards his neck, letting out a cute 'chuuu' sound as she bit his neck. The arm he wasn't using to hold them up flailed out as he felt a bit of pain. A light blush adorned the girl's cheeks as she enjoyed her 'treat'. She soon realised what she was doing however, and leapt off him as if burned.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I…" Tsukune wasn't listening to her apologies as he brought his hand to his neck, waterfalls of tears falling comically from his eyes.

"My blood…" He wined out, but stopped as he pulled his shirt back enough to look at where she bit him. Instead of seeing a pair of bite marks with his life giving liquid as he expected, all he found was the mark of lipstick from her lips instead.

'_What the? Nothing's coming out…'_ He stared in wonder, confusion written on his face. Weren't vampires supposed to drink you bone dry of blood or, at the very least, shouldn't the bite spot be bleeding profusely? He had so many questions, but no answers to them. Off to the side, the pink-haired vampire was near his side bag, picking up his info flyer.

"You're a student of Youkai Academy." She stated simply, catching Tsukune's attention from his pondering, he quickly replied.

"Ahh, yeah. I'm only a freshmen though." Turning around as she stood up, she smiled at him as she hugged the flyer to her chest.

"Great, me too." For the moment, Tsukune could only look at her, the smallest of sweat-drops on his temple.

"Oh yeah?" He asked rhetorically as he continued to look at her. She grew slightly embarrassed at his look, her blush and slight fidgeting clear signs. To him she looked nervous, though he didn't have a clue as to why.

"By the way… Do you dislike vampires?" Not once did she look at him as she spoke, fidgeting as she awaited his reply. Tsukune's first immediate thought was whether or not she was kidding. He soon brought himself up from the ground.

"It's nice isn't it?" He intoned. She looked at him, voicing a confused 'huh?' as Tsukune brushed himself off.

"Vampires are very unique. It's more interesting if you go like that." He continued as he smiled at her. He expected her to smile back, to nod in agreement, or even giggle at his expense. What he didn't expect was for her to give a full blown tackle that knocked the two over.

"I'm so happy!" She exclaimed as she glomped him. Recovering from the fall, she stood hands and knees above him as she stared him in the eye.

"Well then, will you become my friend?" Again, he couldn't help but blush, it's not every day you get glomped by a cute girl. Temporarily losing his voice, all Tsukune could do was nod his head twice. She gave a small sigh of relief as she stood up on her knees; Tsukune's blush intensifying ever so slightly.

"I'm so happy. I don't know anyone here and was kind of worried. Ah… Before I forget, my name is Akashiya Moka." She introduced herself, not having moved an inch from her previous position. Tsukune pushed himself up with his elbows, the small sweat-drop returning to his forehead.

"I'm Aono Tsukune." He merely looked at her as she smiled after his short intro. The air around her seemed to sparkle again for the strangest of reasons.

'_Starting my high school life with the beautiful girl…maybe I'm SUPER lucky?'_ His thoughts were interrupted by a sound in the distance behind them. The pair turned, watching as whole flocks of crows flew from their perches, cawing as they flew away from the disturbance.

"What was that, Tsukune?" She asked, not looking at the boy under her nor moving from her spot. She found it strange, but she could have sworn that the shout was male.

"I don't know…" The boy muttered, not moving from his spot under the girl either. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had the strangest inclination that he should know who that shout belonged to.

/

/ Minutes earlier - With Naruto /

/

Naruto watched as Tsukune walked off down the path into the forest. He knew he'd be fine going by himself. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to get run over or anything, right? He shook his head at such a thought. Once Tsukune had passed a few trees, Naruto turned around and walked back to the bus.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He stood near the last step of the bus doors, leaning to the one side as he put his bags down in front of him. The driver was leaning on the wheel as he smoked his cigar. He breathed out before speaking.

"_**I just wanted to **__**make sure that you…remembered. It doesn't matter where you're from…you must be…cautious…Mind your surroundings…Not everything is as it seems…"**_ The driver took another drag before doing that weird chuckle again. Naruto just rolled his eyes at the man's antics, clearly used to the man's…eccentric behaviour already. He shook his head as he picked his bags back up, wondering why he put them down in the first place.

"Like I said before, Tsukune and I'll be able to face anything that comes our way. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the concern though, or the advice. I'll be sure to keep it in mind." He made to turn around and leave but the driver held up his hand to stop him. Seeing that he had the boy's attention, he reached down beside him and pulled a rolled piece of paper. Brushing off imaginary dust, he handed it to Naruto. He took it from the driver, before unrolling it, discovering it to be a map of the school.

"A map huh? Thanks, but why exactly are you giving me this?" He looked back at the man as he rolled the map back up. The man chuckled be taking another drag, finishing the cigar.

"_**Don't you remember…? That…teacher of yours said you had s**__**omething to… deliver to the Headmaster…did he not?"**_ Naruto nodded. Of course he remembered the other scroll.

"Yeah. And thanks. This'll help cut down some future problems." He smiled as he placed the map on the inside of his over-coat. He stepped off the bus before turning back to the driver.

"So… Is there anything else you need to tell me?" He got a nod from the man as he took out a case from his inner pocket. Opening it he took out another cigar. The blonde lifted an eyebrow; thinking that he was going to be given a cigar. He was proved wrong as the driver clipped one end then lit it. He took a drag before turning back to Naruto.

"_**Just one last thing**__**…before you go…remember to have fun at the…Academy…That and if you keep up with your…studies, you'll do just fine."**_He gave one last wave to the boy before closing the doors and revving up the vehicle. Naruto watched the bus as it ventured back into the cave. Once it had disappeared, he turned around and began his trek to the academy. He stopped short as everything was put together. The uniform…being called a new student…the book bag… _studies_... It suddenly all made sense to him. Finally figuring out what his 'training' would actually be, what happened next wasn't a much of a surprise…

"WHAAAAT?" He yelled despite himself, his yell echoing into the distance, scaring nearly all the surrounding wildlife away. Reining in his anger, he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He somehow KNEW that the pervert must have known. His father went here, did he not? That would mean that he told Jiraiya once he got back right? Grumbling about forgetful perverted sensei's he began his trek anew. Like Tsukune, his eyes drifted a lot, not staying in one place for too long. Unlike the other boy however, Naruto was completely at ease. Well, as much as a shinobi could be without lowering their guard at least. As he walked along, he analysed all he came across.

'_Well let's see… Dead trees as far as the eye can see, with close-knit branches __overhead; letting in only so much sunlight, which is strange considering the cloud cover…_

" _The trees themselves are actually pretty spaced out, allowing a good amount of movement, if the large number of tombstones don't get in your way. And man, they're the real deal too, but they got nothing besides the usual R.I.P. Then there's the fact that some of them are kind of small, only going up to my knee. Hmm… that one woman back from the Chuunin exams would probably love this place, but who knows with her. What was her name again? Mitarashi was it? Mitarashi…Anko? I think that's what her name was…_

"_Anyway, this doesn't look all that bad once you get used to it. Adding to that, some of the braches are low enough that I could easily travel a-la-shinobi. Now, I wonder; where is everyone? I should have met up with Tsukune by now…'_ Hearing a whisper on the wind, Naruto stopped moving. When he didn't hear anything else, he strained his ears to see if anyone was around. Not hearing anything, he focused chakra to his ears, increasing his hearing over two-fold. Hey, he was told that he couldn't use any _ninjutsu_ unless told other wise; the Chairman didn't say anything against the use of just chakra itself. Gotta love loopholes. It was easier now that the transfer rate of the Kyuubi's Youki had lowered now that he was on the fourth tail; but the fact was that he still had to focus hard on what he was currently doing. He didn't want to destroy his hearing with chakra overload now did he?

With the increased hearing he closed his eyes and focused. It helped immensely that most of the wildlife had been scared off earlier or this would be so much harder. He honed in on a set of voices, male voices off to the left, past the trees. He would have just passed them off if it wasn't for the words he picked up. What he was hearing made him frown. He really hoped it wasn't what he believed it was. Cutting off the flow, he leapt up the nearest tree and hopped on branches at a brisk pace. He felt only a small twinge of pain because of the shoes, more like an annoyance really. The earlier walking had helped break the shoes in.

It didn't take him long to reach the source. He huffed in annoyance and slight anger while his eyes narrowed; his suspicions proven true. Down below were two boys; facing a girl against the tree. They all wore the same uniform from what he could see and they looked to be about his age too. Looking at them from his perch, he could tell that they were brothers, twins at that. Same coal black hair, same crew cut and same facial structure. The differences he could tell were that, other than birth names, the one on the left had a deeper voice. That one leaned onto the tree with his one hand, blocking off a route of escape for the girl. He dubbed that one 'Loop' for the moment, thanks to the simple gold loop rings he had in each ear. His brother had a single stud in his left ear instead, so he dubbed that one 'Stud'.

Now, from his angle, he couldn't get a good look at the girl's face thanks to her silver hair, but he could tell that she looked uncomfortable since she held her book bag to her chest while not looking at either of the two. Now if there was one thing he disliked it was perverts. One thing he disliked ever more were perverts trying to force a girl to do something she didn't feel comfortable with. He made his move when 'Stud' brought a hand from his pocket and made to touch the girls face. Landing on the ground softly, he placed his bags at the base of a tree. That kid wouldn't know what hit him.

So focused were they on the girl that they didn't pay any attention to their surroundings. They only clued in when 'Stud's' hand was stopped; held in a vice-like grip. Both boys and girl turned towards the owner of the hand, finding a blonde haired boy with blue eyes, three odd lines on each cheek, and a white bandana wrapped around his head.

"Who the hell are you?" He tried to free his arm, but Naruto wouldn't withhold his grip.

"You know…If there is one thing I don't like are _boys_ like the two of you, trying to make a girl do something she'd rather not." He looked at the two with a side glance. It was one of those 'don't-give-me-a-reason-to-hurt-you' kind of looks.

"Stow it. Go mind your own business _Blondie_. We do as we please and we're going to enjoy th-urk!" The trapped boy spoke as he continued to try and release his arm. He cringed as the grip tightened. In an instant Naruto's face hardened.

"Wrong move." He pulled the arm back, spinning with the momentum as he kicked the boy in the chest. The boy flew back right into a tree, dazed, as dozens of little fractures spread through the bark of the tree. 'Loop' watched as Naruto turned and looked at him before he seemingly disappeared. The boy's eyes widened as he looked around frantically for the blonde.

"Here." He heard from behind him. He spun around fast only to receive a kick to the chin, sending him airborne. Naruto then performed a spin-kick, propelling the boy back.

'_He's fast.'_ That was all he was able to think before he hit a tree beside his brother. All Naruto did was look at them, and then gave a small sigh as he shook his head. He turned to the girl he had just saved, about to ask if she was alright. As he laid eyes on her however, the words died in his throat. Now sure, Naruto had met his fair share of girls in all walks of life thanks to his past travels with the Sennin. But this girl; she was in a league of her own.

She looked to be about his age and about his height too. Her skin was pale, but had a healthy pink tone to it; if her smooth thighs and face were any indication. From what he could see, she looked to have a good figure for her age; not fully mature but no late bloomer either. Her face was unblemished, with high cheek bones and a round face. Her eyes were large, a look of hope and slight uncertainty to them. The colour was a bright wine red, reminding Naruto of Kurenai-sensei; though the older woman's eyes were a shade darker.

As he had noted before, her hair was a shining silver, the tresses falling down to the middle of her back. She also had a few bangs fall over her forehead, a pair shaping her face. He was also quick to note the differences between their uniforms. Her skirt to his pants, different styled jackets, etc. All in all, he couldn't help the blush the formed on his cheeks as he looked at her. Cerulean orbs gazed at wine red. He then blinked, catching himself quick.

"Uh… Are you alright, Miss?" He asked tentatively as he fought back his blush. He had a quick thought that if all the girls here dressed like this, Jiraiya would kill to come here. The question seemed to bring her out of whatever daze she was in.

"Oh…Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Though, you really didn't have to go to the trouble…" He gave her a bright smile, making her sport the lightest of blushes on her cheeks. Looking at him, she noted that he wasn't winded at all after taking those two boys out. The lines on his cheeks looked almost like proverbial whiskers. An odd set of birthmarks in her opinion, but they seemed to suit him perfectly.

"It was no trouble at all, especially when it comes to helping a beautiful girl in her time of need." On the outside he was smiling, but on the inside he was kicking himself for not thinking before he spouted such a stupid line. It sounded to him like something Jiraiya would say. But actually listening, he found that she actually _giggled_ at the line. Well, if it makes the girl laugh, then it was alright in his book, he noted gleefully. After grabbing his bags they set off towards the Academy, Naruto saying that he wanted to make sure nothing else happened, to which he received another set of giggles.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot. I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. You?" He turned to look at her as they walked forward. She giggled again before returning the gesture.

"Emiko, Yoshida Emiko. It's nice to meet you Naruto-san." She smiled sweetly at him, making another light blush come forward. He smiled in return, fighting off the blush, again.

"Nice to meet you too, Emiko-chan." Here Naruto got a bit of revenge, seeing as Emiko sported a blush redder than his own. She looked away, trying to use her hair to hide it. Having a small bit of pity for the poor girl, Naruto changed the subject.

"Hey Emiko-chan… I was wondering but… Why exactly didn't you do anything to those guys back there?" She turned to him, not expecting the question. There was still a semblance of a blush on her cheeks from earlier, but it was fainter.

"Well, I was always told that you shouldn't start a fight needlessly with others; and since all those two did was talk, I thought that all I needed to do was talk them out of it." Naruto sighed at that. He noted off-handily that he seemed to sighing more often as of late.

"Well, not picking fights may be good and all, but that still doesn't mean you can't defend yourself, especially in this sort of situation. You can't normally take guys like that and 'talk them out of it'. You gotta make them realise that if they try to do anything, they won't get away without punishment. Even if all they were doing was talking, their intentions were clear. For something like this, all you have to do is give a swift kick to where the sun don't shine and they'll both go down real quick." She looked at him as she nodded, understanding what he was saying. She suddenly brought a hand to her face as she giggled, trying to stifle her laughs.

"What's so funny Emiko-chan?" Naruto asked curiously. He could honestly say that he liked the way she laughed; it seemed so pure and innocent.

"Oh, it's nothing Naruto-san. It's just that, both my eldest brother and sister used to say the exact same thing when I was younger." She broke out into another fit of giggles as they continued walking. Hearing this made Naruto chuckle along with her.

Behind the pair, the two brothers had recovered and helped each other up, glaring at Naruto's back as he walked away with Emiko.

"That kid… He'll pay for interfering with our business, won't he brother?" 'Stud' asked as he rubbed his sore arm.

"Yes brother, we'll make him pay. You can be sure of that." 'Loop' responded as he rubbed his chin, before the two walked away, wanting to bide their time for now. Back with Naruto and Emiko, she looked at him as they laughed together. She thought back to how the blonde had helped her and couldn't help but smile even more.

'_I've only known you a short time Naruto, and already we're like great friends. It feels nice having you around__. I wonder what the future will bring for us.'_ Her thoughts unknown to him, the pair continued walking to the Academy.

/

/ Yogai Academy - Auditorium /

/

The place was packed. Everywhere Tsukune looked there were new students sitting, talking or just entering the auditorium. There was still a couple of minutes before the ceremony started, so most were rushing to get seats, hoping they weren't late. It was a veritable sea of people of all shapes and sizes. When he and Moka had first entered the room, he made a rough estimate that there were about two hundred or more seats in total. It amazed him that so many people were actually attending here and these were just the freshmen! The pair had chosen a set of seats in one of the center rows, more towards the left side of the large room.

Moka noticed that as they talked, Tsukune was turning his head this way and that, as if looking for someone. Seeing his look of slight worry, she decided to help.

"Tsukune?" Shaking his shoulder, she brought his attention to her.

"Huh? Ah, Moka-san. What is it?" he asked. She was quick to answer.

"You look worried. What's wrong? Are you looking for someone?" He flushed slightly. He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

'_Was I really that easy to read?'_ He thought to himself.

"Nothing's wrong, but yea, there is someone I'm looking for. I haven't had much luck so far though. He's actually the only person going here that I met before meeting you." Moka, for her part, was surprised at that. She didn't know that Tsukune knew someone else; then again, she never asked. She smiled though, happy that Tsukune had another friend.

"Why don't I help you? Four eyes are better than two, right?" She questioned as she held up four fingers to accentuate the question. Tsukune smiled, silently thanked every deity he could think of for meeting such a cute and kind girl.

"Thanks, that'd be great Moka-san!" He exclaimed with a smile. She giggled at his exuberance, glad that he didn't look as worried as before.

"It's no problem Tsukune. So, what does he look like?" It didn't take long for the boy to bring up the memory. He held a finger to his cheek as he spoke.

"Well… He's got blonde, spiky hair and wears a white bandana around his forehead. His eyes are blue and he's got these lines on his cheeks, which I guess would be some sort of birthmark. There really isn't much else since he's wearing the same uniform as everyone else. And before I forget, his name is Naruto." Moka nodded before looking around, scanning for the blonde. Tsukune did the same, looking behind them while Moka looked to the front. It wasn't too long till he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Moka's smiling face.

"I think I've found him." She spoke before pointing off to the right of the room. Tsukune turned his head to look where she pointed and lo and behold, a few rows ahead of them sat a blonde talking to a girl with silver hair. Tsukune had been hoping that he could hang out with the blonde, but guessed that'd have to wait till later. Besides, it wasn't all that bad; he had a friend in Moka. He smiled at her as he turned back to her.

"Look Tsukune, they're waving at us!" She spoke happily before starting to wave her hand. Tsukune looked back and what Moka said was true. Both Naruto and the silver-haired girl were both looking and waving at them. He smiled as he waved back, making their smiles grow. It didn't last long as the staff started to call for silence as the Headmaster appeared in the front of the auditorium. Looking at him, Naruto couldn't help the thought that ran through his head as he recognised who the Headmaster was.

'_Huh…didn't know that old priest was the head of the school…' _So begun Uzumaki Naruto's life as a student of Youkai Academy.

/

/ Later on – Halls – With Tsukune /

/

Walking through the halls, Tsukune sighed in despair. Right now he was alone as he made his way to his homeroom class. Moka had left after the ceremony had finished, saying that there was something she needed to do. He had tried to find Naruto and the girl he was with but was swept away by the sea of other freshmen leaving the auditorium. Once he caught a break, he couldn't find anyone he recognized; which brought him to his current location, in front of the doors to his homeroom. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before opening the door.

As he walked in, he was met with a few curious glances from some of his future classmates. Looking back, Tsukune could honestly say he made the right choice by entering the room by the back door. He looked around the room as he made his way to an empty seat by the window. Another sigh escaped his lips as he caught no sign of either Moka or Naruto. He didn't even see the silver-haired girl Naruto was with!

Speaking of the blonde shinobi, he too was making his way to his homeroom. Unlike Tsukune however, Naruto wasn't so despondent about being alone at this moment. Sure he didn't like leaving Emiko alone but he consented when she told that she was a big girl and could take care of herself. It put a smile on his face when he remembered how she added off handily that if any boys troubled her she would just follow his advice. He shook his head as he put his focus back on where his feet were taking him. He made a small note on how his feet didn't hurt that much anymore, not even a small annoying twinge.

Pulling out the map that the driver gave him, he got a sense of where he was. All he had to do was turn right, and the second door on the right would be his homeroom. Nodding to himself he put the map away as he walked to his destination, classroom 1-6. It didn't take him long before his feet placed him in front of the entrance. Taking a small breath, he opened the doors easily. Walking in, he saw that most of the student body was looking at him. Most turned back to their business seeing as it was just another student and not the teacher.

Only the gaze of a few lingered. One being that of a girl with white hair and greenish-blue eyes in the back row. She only looked at him for a short bit before closing her eyes, loosing interest in the blond; not that he noticed of course. The others were a doublet pair of black eyes that Naruto knew all too well. Turns out that he was in the same class as the two boys he schooled that morning. The brothers glared hard at him, wishing death upon the blonde for interfering that morning.

Naruto didn't even give them a second glance as he made his way to a seat by the window. If there was one thing that Jiraiya had taught him it was not to start needless fights. So, he just ignored them as he looked at the scenery outside. Before the pair could start a commotion, the door opened once again, this time an adult woman walked in. Immediately all chatter ceased as everyone placed their attention on the woman in the front.

'_Heh, Iruka-sensei would _KILL_ to know this woman's secret at handling students like this.' _He had a small laugh going in his head before giving his full attention on the teacher. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Tsukune's homeroom teacher walked in at the same time.

"Okay freshmen. Welcome to Youkai Academy. I'm your homeroom teacher Nekonome Shizuka." She looked nice in Tsukune's opinion. She only stood as tall as some of the students, around 5'7" at his guess. Sandy-blonde hair flowed down to her shoulders, plus a pair of tuffs that stuck out the sides of her head, making her look as if she had cat ears. She had a sort of carefree attitude as she talked.

Her dress style seemed to fit her as well. She wore a pair of yellow, low-level high-heels, and a dark-brown skirt that only went to mid thigh. Her top consisted of a sleeveless shirt with a sort of tiger stripe design and a white, unbuttoned, short-sleeve collared shirt over it. Around her neck was a simple necklace that had a small cat-bell that dangled just below her collar. Lastly were a pair of wide but slim, pink glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose, though why she had them, Tsukune didn't know because so far, Nekonome-sensei had yet to open her eyes. Off handily, Tsukune wondered what some of the other teachers looked like…

"Hello to you all. I'm the homeroom teacher of classroom 1-6, Nanashi Maeko. I welcome you all to Youkai Academy." To Naruto, she seemed alright, a bit serious but alright. Height wise she looked shorter than he was, about 5'6". Her darker skin tone and dark almond eyes reminded him of the people he had met in the Lightning Country during his travels. Her hair was the same colour as her eyes, and was a myriad of tiny braids tied together in a ponytail behind her head, reaching the top of her shoulders.

She wore an earthy brown skirt that traveled down just above the knee. On the left side there was a slit that stopped at mid-thigh to allow movement. Her shirt was a simple tan dress shirt with the top two buttons undone. Her shoes were like Nekonome-sensei's only jet black in colour. Other than the watch she bore on her left wrist, she wore no other accessories.

"Now, as you already know… this school was built specifically for Youkai to attend." She spoke clearly, her eyes looking over the various students in her room. Thunder roared in the background outside, as if for dramatic affect. The blonde's first thought was if the woman was serious. Once he had looked around the room discreetly, plus remembering the driver's advice; he realized that his teacher was serious.

'_Huh, so that's what the driver meant…'_ he would finish his thoughts later since the teacher had continued to talk.

"It's common knowledge that the world is under human control. So, for us to survive, we must live along side them, discreetly of course." Naruto found this easy enough to follow, nodding along side a few other students.

"In order for us to do so, the number one rule of this school was established. Unless the situation calls for it, everyone must stay in human form while attending Youkai Academy. Second, you must hide your identity from all other students. This pair of rules is part of the foundation of this school. Abide by them and your stay here will be pleasant." On his part, Naruto found the rules to be rather simple. As long as he didn't have reason to utilise any of his fighting ability, he'd make it through this without worry. Common sense came barrelling in as he gave a quick glance at the duo he met this morning. Get through without worry? Not with guys like them around.

"Ano… Nanashi-sensei?" A brunette a couple of rows in front of Naruto spoke up.

"…Hmm, Hitsumo Ayane-san, was it? Do you have a question?" Maeko had taken a short look at the classroom roster before answering the girl. Said girl had given a nod when the teacher had said her name.

"Hai, umm… Since everyone here are Youkai, then that would mean humans aren't allowed here, right sensei?" For the strangest of reasons, Naruto felt the tiniest sliver of unease creep up on him. Outwardly he showed nothing, putting his focus on what the teacher would say.

"That would be correct Ayane-san. Since the entire school premise is covered by a giant magical seal that hides us from the outside world, any human found stepping foot here will immediately be killed." Lightning flashed in the background once again, as thunder boomed in the distance. Now the blonde found that a little odd. His father was human, went here and he survived. He wouldn't be here if it were otherwise. But it started to make sense when he thought over what Nanashi-sensei had just said. She said if the human was _found_ that they would be killed, not as soon as they passed the seal hiding this place.

A sudden thought struck him. The boy he met today on the bus, Tsukune; he didn't give off the aura that the other students were giving off. Naruto chalked it up to his senjutsu training, but ever since he came here, he felt everyone give off this sort of odd aura. Even Emiko and the bus driver had one. Tsukune on the other hand, his aura felt much thinner than everyone else's. Almost as if he was only as strong as a… regular human. He hid his shock quickly before anyone could notice.

'_Well__, shit this isn't good. And his teacher probably said the same thing as Nanashi-sensei too. If I were to hazard a guess, he's probably in his class right now shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.' _He didn't know how right he was. His attention, plus that of the rest of the class, was brought to the open door Nanashi-sensei had walked through.

"Sorry for coming late, but I was held up." Maeko gave a nod while waving a hand in, telling the person to enter. Walking in, the person garnered more attention from the male side of the class than the female side. Recognizing her, Naruto smiled, happy that he knew at least one person in his class.

"Hello, I'm Yoshida Emiko. I hope we can all get along well." She gave a small smile as she looked around the room. Many of the students started talking to one another, making small comments about how lucky they were to have her in this class. Others made comments how they wished both her and someone named Moka were here too. She didn't pay attention to them; her focus was on the only blonde in the room. Her smile grew as he gave her a small wave before pointing to the empty seat beside him. Emiko gave a nod before making her way to the seat to Naruto's right.

"It's nice to see you again Naruto-san. I'm happy we're sharing the same class." He too was happy, though Naruto did wish that he didn't have to deal with the jealous glares the other guys in the class were sending him. Oh well, can't get everything you want.

"I'm happy that you're here too, Emiko-chan." The honorific only seemed to make the glares intensify, but Naruto had been through worse, so it was little trouble to ignore them. They, along with everyone else turned to the front as Maeko got their attention before starting the class. It was unknown to Naruto for the moment that Moka had appeared in Tsukune's class and had glomped him in glee after introducing herself.

/

/ Lunch – Halls – Tsukune & Moka /

/

It was lunch hour and Tsukune couldn't tell if this was a dream or not. Walking down the halls with a small blush on his face, he let himself be led by Moka to who knows where. All around them many of the other male students looked on in shock seeing such a regular guy with such a gorgeous girl. Many had angry scowls as they looked outside, pressed up against the window, watching as the couple walked outside towards a vending machine.

As the pair went to grab their drinks; their hands touched briefly. Tsukune jumped back, as if his hand were burned, exclaiming an apology. She simply turned to him with a smile.

"You don't need to apologise, Tsukune~~" She spoke before giving him a light push…by her standards at least. Tsukune for his part felt like he was just slammed back by the wrecking ball of a demolition crew. His back was against a pillar just outside the doors beside the vending machine. Hairline fractures spread out like the legs of a spider from where his shoulders had hit the pillar.

'_She's so strong.'_ He thought in a daze as he tried to recover. Soon after, the pair was sitting in peace as they tried their drinks. The peace didn't last long as a voice spoke up to their right.

"Your name is Akashiya Moka right?" Tsukune spat out his drink in surprise. Next thing he knew, he was being held in the air by the collar, with Saizo holding said collar. Moka cried out Tsukune's name in surprise and worry as she tried without success to get Saizo to relinquish his grip on him.

"Why is such a beauty like you going out with a guy like this?" He asked in annoyed wonder as he looked at Tsukune struggling in his grasp before he turned to the girl in question. She looked at him without answering but gasped in shock as Saizo threw Tsukune at the vending machine, making a large dent in it. Moka tried to run over to him, but Saizo grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait a sec. Instead of playing with a weak guy like that, why don't you play with me?" She looked at him with a small scowl before slapping the offending hand away.

"I'm playing with Tsukune right now." She then ran over to the prone boy; the other students watched, doing nothing to help him or clean up all the drink cans that fell from the machine.

"Tsukune, are you alright?" She asked in worry.

"Yeah…somehow…" He replied a little weakly. She helped him up and they walked away swiftly. A couple of minutes later and the two were on the school roof, Tsukune looking out towards the distance as he leaned on the railing. Moka for her part was leaning her back against the railing, looking up to the sky.

"I was scared… are you sure you're alright Tsukune?" She asked as she turned around, looking at the boy in question. Her eyes shone with worry as she looked at him. He looked down at the railing before speaking.

"I'm fine. But that strength of his…was that the power of youkai?" He turned to her, looking into her green eyes. She suddenly smiled as she then patted him on the back.

"Tsukune, you're weird. You speak as if this were the first time you've seen any youkai." She then stopped patting him when she saw her attempts to cheer him up weren't having the desired effect.

"Oh yeah, what kind of youkai are you, Tsukune? Ah, it's breaking the rule to reveal your own identity, sorry, forget I asked." Moka waved her arms near the end, trying whatever she could to bring her friend out of his little funk. She wished his blonde friend, Naruto she recalled, were here. He'd probably be able to help.

"But you told me you were a vampire, right?" He asked as he looked at the rosette. She looked down as she held her hands to her cheeks, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"That was before I knew that there was such a rule." She fidgeted, wishing her embarrassment would go away.

"I can see it isn't like that though. For now, but…" As she paused, Tsukune looked towards her as she opened the top of her uniform a little more. Doing so not only gave the boy a better look at the cross shaped pendent hanging from her neck, but unintentionally gave the lucky lad a free view of her growing cleavage.

"Look." As he stared, he became nervous as he blushed.

"You said 'look'? You mean your chest?" His eyes never leaving the spot on Moka's chest. His nervousness grew as he continued to look.

"Yes, the rosario on my chest. If this rosario is removed, I will become a very scary vampire." She pointed her chin towards her chest as she looked at him, her smile never leaving her face. His gaze was finally on her face when she finished, showing he had some strength after all.

"A real one…" He said aloud, more to himself than any one else. He looked at her, watching as her hair moved as a steady breeze blew past.

"So this is a sealing amulet. Even I myself can't remove it." She held the amulet with both hands as she blushed. Her head was bowed slightly, eyes staring at the Rosario, off in her own little world.

"It'll be alright." Tsukune's voice brought her from her thoughts as she blinked before turning to him.

"Even it you get a little scary, Moka-san is still Moka-san." He looked away as he scratched his cheek with a finger, a light blush present on his cheeks.

"It's great after all!" Of course his words had the same affect they had that morning, namely making Moka glomp him happily. Only this time Tsukune was still standing.

"Tsukune is the first friend I made." Of course unlike most of the male populous that would be smiling with a stupid little smile on their faces, Tsukune was freaking out a little, still unused to such open contact. She then broke away, still keeping Tsukune at arms length, with the boy's hands on her arms and both sporting a blush on their faces.

"And one more thing, Tsukune. We're on blood-sucking terms" He looked at her a little confused at the last part. She then brought one hand close to her lips.

"I've been drinking tomato juice and blood bags till now. Drinking real blood, Tsukune my first…" The air seemed to shimmer once more around her for the strangest of reasons as she grew slightly timid.

"The sweetness… of that scent…" Her hands reached out to him and she pulled him closer.

"I'll never forget how that feels." She came so close to her goal, her treat as she licked her lips. Suddenly, her face changed in the boy's mind. Her expression was the same, but her eye's turned blood red, her hair turned moonlight silver while her skin became slightly paler. He gasped in surprise, his eyes widened before he pushed her to arms length.

"I'm sorry… I-I have something to do." He didn't give her time to reply as he gave her a smile and a quick wave before turning around, jogging towards the stairwell exit. All Moka did was look on in puzzlement at his retreating back, wondering what came over the boy all of a sudden. Tsukune for his part was running down the stairs two steps at a time, his thoughts running rampant.

'_This is crazy! Even if Moka-san is that cute, it could never work. After all she is different from me.'_ Many of the students he passed looked on in wonder as he ran down the hallway. At one intersection he passed, he didn't notice both Naruto and Emiko walking as they talked.

"Hey wasn't that…" Emiko looked on, surprised as the boy passed before turning to her blonde companion. He looked just as surprised as she, and everyone else was.

"Yeah, that was Tsukune. But why would he be running?" He asked aloud while watching Tsukune run past him through the crowd. He noticed that as he ran, before he was out of sight, that Tsukune was turning his head from side to side. Something was up, and he intended to find out what.

/

/ Academy – Entrance – Tsukune /

/

'_After all, t__his school just isn't for me…' _Tsukune stood facing the Academy, holding both his bags. He gave a forlorn look at the building, wishing he didn't have to leave his friends, but thought he had to. He then turned and started to walk away…

"Tsukune!" But was stopped by the voice of the only girl he knew at the Academy. His eyes were wide, his shock evident on his face. Moka panted slightly after having to catch up to him. He turned to her as she caught her breath.

"Your actions seemed so strange, so…" He looked away from her as she paused, his grip on his bag tightening.

"I was thinking of attending a human school." He muttered, loud enough for Moka to hear.

"Human…" She uttered, confused.

"You're a nice person Moka-san, and Naruto-san seems like a cool guy, but this school is too much for me." He had turned to face her as he spoke, his arms outstretched, trying to make her understand. She shook her head in denial before running over to him and pulling on his duffle bag.

"You can't go to a human school!" They tugged his bag back and forth before she stopped, holding the bag close to chest, her face downcast so that her hair covered her eyes.

"I hate humans… I've been attending human schools till middle school." Tsukune looked at her, silent as he listened to the tale.

"I was so lonely… human's never believed in the existence of youkai… I was different from everyone. It made me think that it's better if I didn't exist in the first place. I was always thinking about these things…" She then looked up at him, eyes shining brightly as she smiled. Tears slowly fell from the corners of her eyes

"But Tsukune said it's fine to be a vampire. I feel that I'm not alone for the first time." She stopped as she wiped away the tears with her hand.

"…If… If I said that I was one of the humans you hated, would you still consider me the same?" Time seemed to freeze for Moka. She couldn't understand what Tsukune was saying, why he was saying this.

"I'm…a human. I am human" His eyes were downcast as he revealed what he was. Tears threatened to fall but he held them back.

"I only entered this school by accident!" His eyes were closed as he yelled out. Moka slowly back away, shaking her head, trying to deny his claim.

"You're lying, there's no way a human can come to this school…" Her mind just couldn't take in what she just heard: that her new friend, this kind boy, was the same as the humans that tormented her in the past.

"You're wrong there Miss." A voice spoke up from behind them. Tsukune opened his eyes as Moka turned around. Standing there behind them, leaning on the gate post with his arms crossed, was Naruto. He pushed himself off before walking slowly over to the pair.

"Humans can come here if they find this place; it's only if their identity is found out that they're killed." His face was serious as he looked at Moka first then turned to Tsukune. He stopped in front of Moka, looking Tsukune in the eyes.

"How-When did you find out?" Tsukune was getting increasingly nervous as he looked at the only other person he knew at the academy. He was just able to get the words out before he gulped loudly; he had never seen Naruto like this before, for as short a time he knew the blonde.

"To tell you the truth, I figured it out myself during my first class. As for how, well… to be frank, I can feel the aura's of the youkai around me. Sure they're all different, but they all have one thing in common, which is that their auras are more prominent than yours, Tsukune-san. Your aura feels thin to me while everyone else's is much thicker, denser." Due to his nervousness and slight fear, Tsukune never noticed that Naruto's eyes didn't hold any malice, nor hatred, just a stern look with, surprisingly he would note later on, understanding.

"…You have the expression I expected you to have." Moka turned to Tsukune who had just spoken. She held her arms in front of her chest, tears waiting to fall once more. She reached out with a hand towards the boy.

"Is it true, Tsukune-"

"Don't get close to me!" He stopped her advance as he shook his head back and forth. His face pointed down, his bangs hiding his eyes from view before looking up.

"You hate humans' right? I too… I too don't want to become friends with a youkai, with any youkai!" He spoke with a mixture of sadness, frustration and anger as he looked at Moka then Naruto. Seeing the hurt looks he received, he grabbed his bag and booked it out of there, both Moka and Naruto calling out to him. Moka then ran after him, not looking behind her to check if Naruto followed. Naruto looked on, slightly surprised at how fast the boy ran. He pinched the bridge of his nose while thinking about how much of an idiot Tsukune was being. He made to run after them but a scream to his right caught his immediate attention.

'_I recognise that voice…That's Emiko! Why would… shit those two from before! Dammit!' _He looked back down the road where both Tsukune and Moka had run off, before turning back to the direction of Emiko's scream. It might have been a little faint, but he knew it came from her. He wished he could catch up to Tsukune and straighten things out, but felt that the rosette would be able to talk some sense into him. With that thought he jumped to the trees and hopped off, not noticing the shadow moving to follow after Moka…

Naruto had been jumping on branches for the past minute or so. Since the branches were closely knit together, more so than the trees back home, he had to be a little more careful. While it hadn't taken him too long to find Emiko and the brothers, it had still been too long in his book. He found them cornering Emiko against a tree; again, though this time they were farther apart, thankfully. The area was, surprisingly enough, a small clearing surrounded by dead trees and a number of grave markers. He jumped down in front of Emiko facing the two, making them both step back in surprise.

"It seems like to two of you didn't learn you lesson from this morning." He looked at them with hard eyes before taking a quick glance behind him.

"Are you all right, Emiko-chan?" Despite the situation, she blushed lightly at the honorific while giving Naruto a nod. He gave a small smile, but it disappeared as he turned back towards the pair before him. Now though, their surprise was replaced with anger as they glared spitefully at the blonde. 'Stud' sneered at him.

"Why must you always interfere with our business? No matter, we'll just deal with you firs-" He was silenced by a punch to the face, sending him crashing into a tree, again. Naruto went to punch 'Loop' with his left, but he ducked low; and he was unprepared for the knee sent to his face. His head thrown back by the blow, he couldn't react as Naruto spun around, delivering a reverse kick to his chest. He tumbled back before stopping in a heap beside his brother.

"You know, you talk too much." Naruto said as he gave Emiko a small smile. It disappeared however, when both brothers started to laugh. And it wasn't one of those ha-ha kinds of laughs; it was an 'I-know-something-you-don't' kind of laughs. He turned back, his eyes narrowing as he watched them help each other up.

"I don't think he gets it, brother." 'Loop' spoke. When both were back up, they stood hunched over slightly, sick grins on their faces.

"No, I don't think he does brother. Maybe we should explain it to him?" 'Stud' spoke as he chuckled again, as if he had heard something funny.

"Yes let's. My name is Koga." 'Loop', now Koga spoke; he was on the left. He started to clench and unclench his fists as he spoke.

"And I am Ginta. We are the Tsuchiyama brothers." Their grins grew as their bodies started to shift and change. Their heads were bowed over as both began to grow in size, their uniform tearing apart. It didn't take long. The brothers' skin turned stone grey, with areas of dark brown here and there. Once the transformation was over, they both looked to be made of stone and earth. Both now stood at 7', more than a foot taller than Naruto, and twice as wide.

They looked humanoid in shape, but their shoulders were much wider, made all the more noticeable thanks to their heads barely changing in size. The most drastic change, though, was their heads, despite the lack of size. Hair was non-existent, nor did they have a mouth or nose. Only a pair of slits where the nose would vaguely be was present. Lastly, their eyes became orbs of pure obsidian. Looking at them, Naruto could only conclude one thing as he turned to Emiko, his face deadpanned.

"…Well, it's a good thing their pants stayed on." This caused both brothers to face fault, as a small bat in the trees did the same. Emiko had a large sweat drop, and sported a light blush at the comment.

"What are they anyway?" Seeing as they were slow to get up, Emiko took the chance to answer the blonde's question.

"They're an uncommon type of youkai called Stonemen, a type of golem. A golem is a humanoid-shaped monster made of a certain natural element like wood, fire or in this case earth and stone. Because they're made from Stone and earth, they're the toughest physically to harm. Usually they're slow bu- LOOK OUT!" Naruto turned just in time to receive a large backhand that launched him back through the trees behind him. He would find out later that he also went careening straight into a group of people.

/

/ Pathway between Academy and Tunnel /

/

Komiya Saizo felt that today was going to be a good day. He was going to get a cute girl, possibly the cutest of the entire academy. Not only that, but he just bashed away a weaker youkai, one that he thought was weak as hell. Getting to kill a weak guy while getting the cutest girl at the same time. Yup, today was looking up for Saizo.

"I don't know what kind of youkai you are, but you're too we-" His gloating was cut off as something checked him hard in the back. Not expecting the hit from behind, he stumbled forward over the edge of the hill, tumbling as he went. Off to the side, Moka was just about jump after Tsukune when Saizo was hit. She noticed that it was another student like her, and she gasped as she noticed the hair colour. There was only one boy she knew that had such a mass of blonde, spiky hair.

She hadn't even thought about if he was running behind her until Saizo had shown up. Her train of thought stopped as Naruto got back up, wiping the small trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. He was mumbling to himself about… something being as strong as his obaa-chan? She didn't get the time to ask as he stood up; rolling his shoulders as he cracked his neck.

"Alright, no more playing around." He muttered out loud, more to himself than anything as he called upon his chakra. Not enough to form a full tail's worth, but enough to give a large overall boost. He ignored the gasp to his right before launching himself forward, planning on giving those golems a piece of his mind. After he disappeared, Moka remembered that Tsukune was still down below with Saizo! She instantly got up and jumped over the edge. Her last thought before putting all her focus on helping Tsukune was just one thing. Why did Naruto's eyes start glowing a faint blue?

/

/ Clearing – With Emiko and others /

/

As Emiko backed herself against another tree, she knew she was in trouble because of a few simple facts. One, the Tsuchiyama brothers were somehow faster than what Stonemen were supposed to be. Two, she knew she'd only be able to handle one of them at a time if she showed her true form as well. That, plus the fact that she was vulnerable for those few seconds as she transformed. There was also something else that happened when she transformed, but was too worried about Naruto to think on it. She wondered whether or not he was alright, but her focus shifted to the pair that turned towards her. Unless something miraculous happened soon, she was in deep trouble. Thankfully, help arrived in the form of a green and yellow blur, body checking one of them aside.

"Naruto!" she cried in delight. He seemed alright to her, only rubbing his shoulder as he rolled it. Other than that, the only difference from before were his glowing blue eyes that in her opinion looked really nice. There was also the fact that the feel of his aura was different. Not like the difference _between_ different youkai, but different _from _youkai. She couldn't really get more of a feel for it since it was too faint. The blonde for his part was mentally grumbling.

'_Damn! Hitting that guy was like when I was trying to get through one of Ero-sennin's chakra-enforced mud walls. I __guess I'll have to go at least one tail if I want to do something other than literally push them around. So much for staying inconspicuous.'_ With that thought he formed a half-ram sign as he reached into his reserves, summoning the power forth.

The air around him was pushed away before he looked to be completely engulfed in blue flames. Both the brothers and Emiko watched, entranced as his aura waved around him before seemingly solidifying right before them. Looking at him, Emiko could see that this… energy, whatever it was, stood at least two inches from his body. That wasn't all though; his aura condensed into three more parts, two of which were on his head, looking like a pair of floppy ears, the tassels of his headband enshrouded by them. Lastly, behind Naruto was an actual tail of condensed aura that moved lazily behind him; she'd never seen any youkai like this before. And the feel of it was so… different, so… she couldn't think of a word to describe it right now. Turning to his eyes she could see that they glowed even brighter than before, though it was somewhat muted thanks to the condensed aura over them. Gazing at him; his determined eyes, his serious face and his power; it made her heart speed up slightly.

What he did next made her gasp. All she saw was Naruto crouch slightly, then without warning, the brother still standing was hit so hard that he crashed through a couple of trees behind him. Naruto stood where the Koga used to stand, elbow outstretched, and his back to Emiko. Gazing back at where he was standing before, her eyes widened even more. On the ground was a pair of small craters, not even an inch deep, half a foot across with dozens of cracks spread out. Looking back at Naruto, she smiled at him, thankful that she had the privilege of meeting a guy like him. But she wasn't going to just sit here and play the helpless damsel, no sir. She planned on showing Naruto that she was worthy of his companionship and kindness. With that in mind she slunk behind the trees, quickly now that no one had their focus on her.

Naruto stood straight as he looked with determined eyes at the brother in front of him, Ginta he believed his name was. In the back of his mind, he realised that his elbow actually hurt, but his healing soon took care of it. Ginta, on his part, looked at the person in front of him with wide eyes. He'd never seen a youkai like this, nor one as fast. As he stood back up, his eyes narrowed as his shock was replaced with white-hot anger. His anger only grew as he looked at Naruto, standing in front of him in defiance, his 'tail' swaying behind him lazily. It didn't take long for his anger to reach its peak before he lashed out, his eyes seeing nothing but red, or blue as was the case.

He ran at the blonde, all thoughts of strategy lost on the angry teen. Ginta's frustration grew as he tried to hit Naruto. He punched, he kicked, he swiped at the glowing blonde but nothing seemed to work! Every time he tried to hit him Naruto would simply bend in one direction or step to the side. Seeing through his anger and frustration that his moves weren't hitting the blonde, Ginta jumped back for space before taking a few quick steps forward, followed by a jump.

Ginta wrapped one hand around the other as he held them high, prepping for a hammer strike. As gravity began to bring him back down, he crunched his stomach as he brought his hands down, putting in as much power into the blow as possible. So focused was he on creaming the blonde below that he didn't notice said blonde raise his arms up, knees and elbows bent, and hands outstretched. Nor did he notice the power spike that came from directly behind Naruto. All he cared about was smashing the little pest into paste!

His return to the ground came swiftly, and with the resounding crash came a small cloud of dust and debris. Ginta smirked, or what could be called one, thinking that the odd youkai was finally done with. As the dust cleared, a blue glow beneath his clenched hands was revealed, wiping the smirk from his face. Replaced with what looked to be a sneer, he pushed down, and tried to force the blonde to crumble. Tried.

No matter how much force Ginta put out, his hands just wouldn't budge. That's when he noticed that his hands were actually moving upwards. Eyes widening, Ginta clenched his middle again as he leaned forward, putting as much body weight and strength into pushing the blonde down; and still Naruto pushed against the downward force.

Once standing fully upright with his hands above his head, Naruto looked up into the taller boy's wide obsidian eyes with a confidant grin.

"Is that all ya got?" He didn't let Ginta reply as he forcefully pushed his hands into the air. With the added room, Naruto crouched low, uncoiling his legs as he launched forward, driving a fist into Ginta's middle. As Ginta leaned forward on reflex, Naruto flipped back, driving a knee into the Stonemen's chin. The force of the blow whipped the boy's head back as he fell.

Naruto turned to his left when he heard the sound of wood crunching underfoot. He saw Koga standing there, eyes locked on him filled to the brim with utter loathing. Koga then launched forward, hoping to get a crack at the blonde. A white blur put a stop to that. Naruto watched as the white blur slammed into Koga hard, driving him back as it wrapped around him. Getting a better look at the figure, Naruto was surprised that it was Emiko that held Koga at bay. Other than her ears becoming pointed, about 6 inches longer, and slit eyes, nothing else changed for her upper body. On the other hand, her lower body had completely changed.

Where a simple pair of human legs used to be, there was now the long tail of a snake. It was long enough that she was able to wrap Koga from his feet to his chest; while her arms put him in a strangle hold. A peculiar fact he noted was that unlike the snakes he had seen before that only had earthy-brown scales; the scales on Emiko's lower body were more of a silver white colour, with a cream coloured diamond pattern littering her long back. She turned her wine-red eyes from her captive to Naruto's glowing blue ones. She gave him a wink as she smiled.

"Don't worry, I got this one. You take care of the other one, alright?" He smiled back as he nodded, before turning back to Ginta who was recovering readily. Naruto crouched low once more and prepared to launch himself forward when a large spike of Youki made everyone in the clearing freeze. They all watched as the sky turned crimson; the moon appearing in full view overhead, shining a radiant pink as the sound of thousands of bats permeated the air.

'_Whoa… didn't know that such an unassuming person like her could unleash something like this… reminds me when I was trying to master three tails months ago… I better finish this up quick or-'_ Naruto's train of thought was cut off when the ground shook violently, the sound of a large crash coming from the direction he was sent earlier. Luckily the blonde's crouched position kept him stable enough to weather out the shockwaves. Ginta however, wasn't so lucky; he was knocked flat on the ground once again. Emiko held to a nearby tree with her arms as her lower body held Koga still. She didn't want to accidentally kill him by jerking his neck the wrong way, just send him unconscious from the lack of oxygen.

The shockwaves didn't last long. Once they had past, Naruto appeared next to Ginta, delivering another kick to his face that knocked him back once more before he could get up. Naruto then walked over to Ginta's dazed form, arms hung loosely at his sides.

"…So… you learned your lesson yet?" He asked simply. Ginta's eyes narrowed as he looked at the blonde. His breathing was laboured, his chest rising and falling in quick succession.

"…Fuck…you…" Was all Ginta was able to get out as he tried to get precious oxygen to his lungs. Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he gave a sigh, shaking his head. Some people just never learned.

"Alright then, nighty night big guy." Ginta's eyes widened as Naruto's foot rushed at him, then darkness took him. The blue cloak disappeared as Naruto checked to see if Ginta was indeed out cold. Nodding to himself, he turned back to Emiko just as she finished unwrapping herself from Koga, his unconscious form lying prone on the ground. She gave Naruto a smile and slid over to him as he dragged Ginta's body beside his brother's.

"I see you're alright." He stated simply. "What happened exactly?" He stood before her with his hands in his pockets, curious as to what events had led to this. She gave a small sigh as she brought one of her coils up behind her before sitting on it like a makeshift seat. Naruto looked at that for a moment before shaking his head with mirth; it was an odd scene to him yet it looked completely natural as well.

"Well, after you left to find your friend, I tried looking for him as well. Problem was, once I went outside these two found and tried to corner me. I followed your advice and it worked; but they recovered quicker than I thought. Seeing as they were Stonemen I can now see why. Once they had recovered they gave me one of those creepy looks and well… I got scared." Emiko looked away from the blond as she held her arms to herself. Most of all, she felt frustrated with herself; she shouldn't have been so easily intimidated by guys like that. She collected herself before speaking further.

"I turned to run when one of them, Ginta I think, appeared right in from of me. It was enough that I screamed and gave him a left hook. After that I ran into the forest while they followed. It surprised me that they were able to keep up with me. Usually most golem type youkai are incredibly slow. These two must have been the black sheep of the bunch…

"Anyway, they cornered me in this clearing, and then you showed up. You know how the rest went." Naruto just kept silent; listening to her as she spoke. He could almost feel her frustration, and he could probably guess why. He never did like to see a girl sad or upset so, he did what he thought was best.

Change the subject.

"I don't mean to offend but, what kind of youkai are you exactly?" Emiko quickly looked at Naruto, not expecting the blunt question. The blonde smiled at her, continuing on.

"I know the rules state that we can't tell each other but, since I've already seen your true form it wouldn't really hurt just to explain the rest right?" Emiko smiled back, thankful for the reprieve. She took a small breath to compose herself.

"Well, to start out with I'm a youkai called a Naga. As you can see, other Naga like me have an upper body waist up that look close to a human's own, while our lower bodies are that of snakes." The blond nodded in understanding. He was pretty amazed altogether with the existence of youkai. The closest to this were the Bijuu. If what he saw today was any indication, his stay at Youkai Academy just got that much more interesting.

"So Naruto-san, what about you? I've never seen a youkai like you." On the inside, Naruto was at a crossroads. He could tell the truth, but risk looking like an idiot since there was no way a normal human could display the power he did. What did Jiraiya say for situations like these?

'_Now remember Naruto. When you're in a situation where you want to tell the truth but can't, nor do you wish to lie, simply warp __it a bit. Tell parts that are truthful to be believable, but make up others so as to keep secrets…'_ Ah, that semi-lovable, perverted sage. When he wasn't being perverted he could be a man of great wisdom. Naruto had an idea for this, he just hoped it worked. He was brought out his thoughts from the only Naga he knew.

"Naruto-san, are you alright? You started staring off." He looked at her before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Sorry 'bout that, just some past memories. I'm afraid though that I can't tell you what I am." Which was the truth, since most youkai did not take kindly to humans from what he's seen. What he had no clue about though was if they knew anything about Jinchuuriki's at all. To Naruto, as a shinobi, you _never_ take risks with low amounts of info. It just wasn't ethical.

"What? Why not? You were the one who brought this up in the first place." Emiko crossed her arms as she looked at the blonde. Naruto for his part was thankful that Emiko had a pout to her face; else he knew he'd be in trouble.

"I'm sorry Emiko-chan it's just that well….I…I don't know." The Naga tilted her head to the side in confusion. He didn't know? How could he not?

"How could you not know what you are Naruto-san? Surely your parents explained it to you as you were trained right?" When Naruto visibly flinched, Emiko knew something was wrong. She slunk closer to him as Naruto looked away, bangs hiding his eyes. She hoped she didn't say something she shouldn't have.

"Naruto…what's wrong? Was it something I said?" She watched as he said nothing, hesitating. Warning bells went off blaring in her mind as the silence dragged on. It was broken when Naruto gave a sigh.

"The reason why I can't tell you is because…I'm an orphan." Even after all the good things that had come his way; making all the friends he did, and finding out about Jiraiya being his godfather, this one truth still hurt the most. Never being able to know what it felt like to have parents, it was something that he'll always have to carry with him for the rest of his days. He actually had a different plan in mind, but when Emiko brought up the notion of his parents, he couldn't stop hidden pains from emerging.

Emiko had a small intake of breath as she heard this. Coming from a semi-large family she could never imagine what it would be like to not have them. She wouldn't have ever imagined Naruto to be an orphan at first glance; especially with such a cheerful character as his. Her body reacted on instinct, surprising them both as she hugged him. She fought the small blush that threatened to appear on her face. Luckily for her Naruto couldn't see her face. Naruto himself blushed as he felt a certain pair of Emiko's anatomy press against his chest lightly.

'_Come __on Naruto, this isn't the time to be a regular male teenager. Remember what the sisters told you, when being hugged by a pretty girl, you hug back!'_ With that Naruto wrapped his arms around Emiko, making her tighten her hold slightly. Unfortunately for the poor (or is it lucky?) boy's peace of mind, this made his chest all the more acquainted with Emiko's. But Naruto was a fighter; he wouldn't let something like teenage hormones get the better of him, no sir. He thanked Kami above silently for his strength of will, keeping a certain something from making itself known. But beyond that, he was able to enjoy the embrace. It was innocent and heartfelt. The two of them stayed like that for a time, before slowly parting as they smiled at each other.

"You won't always be alone Naruto-san. Not only do you have Tsukune, but you also…have…me?" Finally taking notice to how close they were to each other, a healthy blush appeared on each of the teens faces as they let go of each other, each looking in a different direction.

"Um…thanks for the hug Emiko-chan" Naruto scratched the back of his head as he laughed nervously. He honestly never expected her to hug him. He wasn't complaining; it was nice, just unexpected.

"Yo-you're welcome Naruto-san." No one could really blame her for her embarrassment at the moment. This was the first time she hugged a guy outside of family. Even if it was only to comfort a friend, she couldn't help but blush when she remembered what she felt when she hugged him.

"We should, uh…get going. Tsukune is probably where that oppressing aura came from." The Naga was glad when he changed the subject; it helped break up the slight unease between the pair. Naruto gave a quick glance to the Tsuchiyama brothers. They were still out cold, so they would probably be alright. He turned around and began walking in the direction he was sent earlier. He stopped when he noticed that Emiko wasn't following.

"Hey Emiko-chan. Aren't you coming?" The sound of his voice broke Emiko from her thoughts.

"Oh, I'll be with you in a sec. I have to do something first." With that she turned and slithered behind some trees out of sight. Naruto didn't have to wait long, only a few minutes, during which he felt a slight drop of youki in the area; specifically Emiko's. It dawned on him that Emiko was taking on her human form once more.

'_But why would she have to transform secretly?'_ He pondered on that thought. His thoughts moved towards what happened during the transformation. Both legs came together to form her tail right? So that would mean… A very deep blush formed on his face as his eyes widened. Okay he didn't really know if THAT was the reason but he'd rather not risk asking. Luckily he was able to beat the blush down just as Emiko returned, adjusting one of her shoes before walking up beside him.

"Shall we go?" She smiled at him, never knowing what went on in the boy's mind. Not wanting to risk saying something he'd regret, Naruto just nodded and the pair walked off. It didn't take them long to reach the ledge where they simply leapt down to the road. They saw the rosette sitting with Tsukune's head on her lap; the girl casually stoking his hair. She looked up as the pair made their way over.

"Are you two alright?" Naruto asked as he looked at Tsukune before glancing at Moka. Emiko meanwhile was looking at the unconscious Saizo. The boy was shirtless and was partially covered in debris. He was also in his human form. Whatever had released that large amount of youki was obviously the culprit. The question was; who was the source of all the youki? Turning back to the others, she smiled seeing Naruto help the now-conscious Tsukune to his feet. The brown-haired lad looked at the people around him in slight wonder. Everything that had just transpired...had it all been a dream? He shook his head to get rid of the cobwebs before making his way towards the broken scare-sign. Picking up the laminated schedule, he realized something that made his hands tremble.

"This bus schedule…it's not on hours, but days?" He couldn't believe it. The bus wouldn't come for another whole month if what the schedule said was true. He then plopped back on his rear.

"Yeah, didn't you know about it?" Moka replied as she sat beside him. Naruto chuckled at how Tsukune was acting, catching their attention.

"Why so serious about it, Tsukune? So it's just a month, as long as we stick together you'll do fine." Naruto had a large grin on his face, one which Tsukune, Moka and Emiko found infectious. Moka's grin dropped when she turned back to Tsukune.

"Eh? You're bleeding Tsukune. We need to clean it up." She grabbed a napkin from her pocket as the boy felt his cheek and surely, a little blood was flowing from a cut on his cheek. Moka took his hand away while shaking her head. She then proceeded to wipe his cheek as Tsukune just looked at her lost in thought. Naruto and Emiko smiled at each other, finding the scene heart-warming. That is until they both heard Tsukune yelp in surprise. Looking back they found Moka latched to the poor boy's neck. Looking at their friend's panicked face, Moka's euphoric one, and then to each other; they soon broke out laughing. Naruto slapping his knee while Emiko held her middle from laughing so hard. Moka had soon broken away, a content look on her face.

"Ah, that was SO good." That just made the laughing pair laugh harder. The human and vampire pair looked on as Naruto and Emiko laughed a little longer. The blonde soon wiped away a tear as Emiko tried to control her giggling.

"Ah, sorry about that you two. It was just too funny." Naruto said as he took a deep breath to calm himself. Emiko simply nodded as she continued to giggle. Tsukune smiled as he looked at his first friends from Youkai Academy.

"I bet it was. Look ah, Naruto-san. I'm sorry about this whole mess." The boy scratched his cheek as he laughed nervously. He stopped as Naruto put an arm around his shoulders.

"Ah, you worry too much, Tsukune. You have nothing to be sorry about. Besides, it doesn't matter if you're human, you're a friend of mine and that's all that matters." Tsukune smiled back as Naruto took his arm away. Emiko, for her part, was shocked. She didn't know this whole mess was because Tsukune was human. Naruto looked at his silver-haired companion, hearing her gasp. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting to explain this to Emiko.

"Right, sorry for not explaining this to you earlier Emiko-chan. You don't have a problem with what Tsukune is, do you?" Emiko looked at each of them in turn. Tsukune looked at her with a little fear, wondering what she was thinking. Moka had a worried look on her face, but her body said she would jump to protect Tsukune is needed. Finally, Naruto looked a little nervous, but otherwise stood tall and resolute. She knew; even if they were friends, Naruto would stand up for the other boy, even against her. She then smiled, shaking her head before locking eyes with the blonde.

"No, I don't have a problem with Tsukune being human." Her words brought a collective sigh of relief from the two behind Naruto. It wasn't the one-hundred-percent complete truth, but Emiko would save judgement until she had gotten to know the guy at least. She stood beside Naruto as she faced the human in question.

"Naruto-san's right though. It doesn't really matter what you are, but it's who you are and how you act that counts." She brought a hand forward to help the boy up. Tsukune smiled as he accepted the help.

"Now, I believe we have yet to properly introduce ourselves. I'm Emiko, Yoshida Emiko." She gave a small bow after making a little room.

"It's nice to meet you Emiko-san. I'm Aono Tsukune." He returned her bow with his own before he looked over to Moka.

"It's very nice to meet you Emiko-san, and I'm glad you have no dislike of Tsukune. I'm Akashiya Moka." The girls gave each other a bow as they smiled at one another.

"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Moka-san. Now that intro's are over, why don't we head back?" The other three nodded before they all turned back to the Academy. It was a half-day of classes, since it was the first day of school, after all.

/

/ Youkai Academy /

/

After carrying back Saizo, the blonde had gone and carried back both of the Tsuchiyama brothers as well. Luckily for him they had both changed back. The others said they wanted to help but Naruto just said he'd get it done quicker and they still needed to get checked too. Now the group of four walked aimlessly around the hallways after leaving the Nurse's office. None spoke; all content with the silence till Tsukune remembered something.

"I just thought of something. Naruto, earlier this morning, what did the bus driver want to say to you after I left?" Naruto for his part stopped walking as he thought back. The girls were out of the loop, so it was understandable that they wondered what had gone on between Naruto and the driver. They all waited patiently, and they didn't have to wait long. Naruto soon snapped his fingers.

"Right, now I remember. The guy said I was supposed to meet up with the Headmaster sometime today." Tsukune nodded thinking it made sense.

"What for Naruto-san?" Emiko asked.

"Oh I just had to deliver something, that's all." He replied not missing a beat.

"Well, since we have time, why don't we all go together?" Moka inquired. Tsukune and Emiko smiled and nodded in unison, liking the idea. Naruto smiled as he grabbed the map in his inner-jacket pocket. It warmed his heart to have such friends. Looking at the map he led the group to the headmaster's office. It surprised them that it didn't take as long as they had originally thought. Once there, Naruto told the other to wait while he went on ahead. After the secretary told the Headmaster that he wished to speak with him, Naruto was allowed in.

The first thing the Jinchuuriki noticed was that there was low lighting, plus the blinds were closed. The only source of light came from a pair of tall candles on the Headmaster's desk. The desk itself looked to be made from mahogany, from what he could see in the low light. The top was covered with a couple of binders, papers and various knickknacks that Naruto had no clue as to what they were for. Without looking up from the page he was currently reading, the Headmaster motioned for Naruto to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk, which he did. He didn't have to wait long as the man soon wrote something on the page before setting it aside. He then turned his glowing eyes on the blonde.

"_Why hello Naruto-ku__n. How has your first day of Youkai Academy?"_ The man intoned. With his glowing eyes, and style of speech, Naruto wondered if the man before him was related to the bus driver. Regardless, he answered the man.

"So far the day's been…interesting, to say the least." The man gave a nod.

"_I bet it has my boy, I bet it has."_ He grinned at the blonde. If he were anyone else, Naruto would have shivered at the look. But his immunity to the bus driver must have passed over to this man as well.

"The bus driver told me this morning that you wished to see me about something?" Naruto watched as the man nodded again, resting his elbows on the desk and his head on his interwoven fingers.

"_Yes__, that is correct. You have a scroll for me from your mentor Jiraiya-san, do you not?"_ The blonde nodded but stopped before reaching for the scroll in one of his pockets.

"Wait, how did you know who the scroll was from?" The Headmaster inclined his head at the question, his respect for the boy growing ever slightly.

"_It is my duty as Headmaster to know such things my boy."_ The man's face was impassive as he spoke, and the tone of voice was of complete seriousness, something Naruto knew couldn't be forged. With that he nodded, this time actually grabbing the scroll before placing it in the Headmasters outstretched hand. As the man broke the seal, unravelled it and began to read, Naruto pondered on how the man could have known.

"…It was the driver wasn't it? That's how you knew." Naruto blurted out, breaking the silence after a few minutes of thinking.

"_Oh? How did you come to that conclusion__, Naruto-kun?" _The smile had returned to the man's face, showing his amusement if his voice didn't convey it.

"There are only two people here who could have seen sensei hand me that scroll; the bus driver and my friend, Tsukune. Tsukune isn't the kind of guy to skip classes at all, so he attended his classes this morning. Add to that, that one girl Moka was with him whenever they weren't having classes, and that takes him out of the picture.

"Now the driver would have had free time since I doubt there would have been anyone else to go pick up with it being so close to the beginning of classes. That and the fact that you were most likely the one who gave the driver the directions to Mt. Myobokuzan in the first place." The man gave a small chuckle as he continued to read the scroll in front of him.

"_You would be correct Naruto-kun. The bus driver was the one who told me. __You have very good analytical skills, just like your father when he first arrived."_ Hearing the praise and comparison to his father, Naruto couldn't help the slight reddening of his cheeks as he smiled. The man soon finished the scroll, rolling it up and resealing it for privacy. The blonde gazed curiously at the scroll before turning to the Headmaster.

"I've been wondering this since I got it but, what was in the scroll anyway? I hope it's not anything like sensei's books, Headmaster." His smile was full of mirth, one the Headmaster chuckled at.

"_Oh it is nothing of the sort my boy. A__ctually, it has to do with those of Akatsuki you've been dealing with."_ At the mention of his 'hunters', all amusement was replaced with seriousness. He stared hard at the scroll once more.

"Is there anything I need to know? Is there anything you need my help with?" He gazed unflinchingly at the Headmasters glowing eyes. The Headmaster shook his head.

"_Not to worry__, my boy. With the shield around the academy; never mind the fact that we're in another dimension from your own, there is no chance of any member of this 'Red Dawn' stepping foot on the Academy grounds. I thank you for your consideration on the matter, Naruto-kun, and if something comes up within your area of expertise, I shall call for you. For now though, put this from your mind, and focus on your studies. That is what is most important. Now…is there anything else you would like to ask?"_ The blonde calmed himself, knowing there was nothing he could do for the moment, so why worry? He pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"There really isn't anything on my mind at the moment, Headmaster." The man nodded.

"_If that is all, you may go my boy. Enjoy the rest of your day, and prepare yourself for the future__, Naruto. And be sure to come in if you are in need of anything."_ He nodded before getting up and turning to the door. After the door closed the Headmaster turned in his chair to the left, staring at nothing. He remained silent for a minute or so before breaking the silence.

"_So…I was right at the time, that boy is Minato's son. The look is uncanny, as are some of his mannerisms. Though everything else mo__st likely comes from his mother. Already he is following in his father's footsteps. He will face many challenges, and like his father, he will face them head on and be triumphant. Every single one of them…"_ As the man spoke aloud, Naruto was walking with his friends, laughing and smiling as they made their way back to their dorms for the day. Hilarity ensued once more when Moka latched onto Tsukune's neck once more.

The Headmaster was right about one thing, most of all. There were many things awaiting the young blonde. Today was just the start; the start of Naruto's adventures at Youkai Academy. Only time would tell what came next.

\\\\\\\\\\

_A/N_  
_Hey everyone, hoped you liked the second installment of Konoha Gaiden: Naruto +Youkai Gakuen! I will get to answering some reviews next chapter, though I hope some questions had been answered with this chapter. Again, there will be NO pairings with characters of the Naruto-verse, this includes Hinata. But don't let something as simple as a pairing stop you from enjoying the story._

_You all know the drill, please review after reading. Its good to know what my readers like and what they don't._


	3. Chapter 3

_Yes, your eyes aren't decieving you. Here is the 3rd chapter of KG:N+YG! I know this was long coming, unfortunately life doesn't always allow everything to flow as smoothly as we like. This chapter, just like the last two was beta'd by my good friend _gmsephiroth_ who has helped me both with plot brainstorms and general corrections._

_Now, I know some of you wish to see Naruto paired up with one (or more) Rosario maidens, and he will. Just not in the fashion everyone is used to. So no, Naruto will not be paired with Moka. No, he will not be paired with Mizore, or any canon character for that matter. Even though I've read a number of good Naruto-Rosario crossovers, pairing wise the girls are split between the boys or Naruto completely replaces Tsukune. I thought I'd try something different, since this is fanfiction where our only limits are the imaginations we have and inhibitions we hold._

_To those who have reviewed, thank you. There was one review of note, however, that really spoke to me. Fanfiction member _Kelenas _wrote what I found to be a good criticism; he described what he liked, what he disliked and future thoughts. To Kelenas, thank you for writing that review, it's one of the things that keep us writers with motivation to keep writing._

_I've taken enough time here so, without further notes (besides disclaimer), enjoy._

**Disclaimer: **_I own nothing of the Naruto and Rosario canon universes respectively. Only OC's and ideas to deviate from canon are mine._

* * *

_Konoha Gaiden: Naruto + Youkai Gakuen_

_Chapter 3_

Within the boys' dormitory of Youkai Academy, a blonde haired youth laid in bed, lost in thought. Nearly two weeks had passed and already Naruto had grown used to being a student of a school made for monsters. It helped that there hadn't been much drama since the first day. It felt oddly calm, and he wondered if this was what it felt like to have a normal school life. This place was completely different from the shinobi Academy or even his travels with the old hermit; and he wasn't talking about everyone and their pet dog being youkai in disguise.

Thinking back, he realized that the reason everything felt so nice was because of how his friends treated him. Back home, the people around him were a teacher, a rival, a crush, a comrade; but never really a friend. He wanted to consider them friends, but he never actually interacted with them as he did here. At Youkai Academy there was no past history to work against him; he was a clean slate, just like every other freshmen. The best thing would have to be that Emiko, Moka and Tsukune didn't expect anything from him, and let him just be himself, something he was never able to do at home for the most part.

Taking a small break, since he knew that he was too unfocused to work, he looked out the window as his mind replayed the events of the last few days. On the second day, thoughts of training had sprung up, and he became concerned about how to keep his skills sharp in secret. As soon as classes were done that day, he had gone straight to the Headmaster for aid. He didn't want anyone to know about his abilities until he decided to show them.

Thankfully the Headmaster had revealed to the young shinobi a clearing a few miles North-west of the dorms. He was told that it was the same place his father had trained his shinobi skills when he had attended the Academy. Knowing that he now had another memento of sorts from his father, it left the blonde smiling the rest of the day. It helped to know that the Headmaster had personally seen to it that only he would be allowed passage, and those they allowed.

When he first laid eyes on the clearing, it looked perfect in his opinion. Its centerpiece was a small waterfall, the same crimson colour as the ocean by the tunnel entrance. The falls fell into a small pool that fed a nearby river off to one side, which Naruto knew ran till it connected with that crimson ocean. Surrounding the clearing were tall, dead, redwoods that hid the waterfall and cliffs from view. It helped that the closer to the clearing one was, the taller the trees grew, till they matched the height of the imposing redwoods. There was plenty of space for Naruto to move about, enough that he could probably fill the clearing with about a hundred and fifty clones without any on the water or trees.

Naruto felt completely at peace here. Maybe it was because his father had trained here for so long that part of his spirit stayed. He didn't know; but what he did know was that all of his troubles seemed to just wash away as soon as he entered the clearing. He really hadn't wanted to leave after checking the place out, but knew he had to. The thought of being able to come back everyday after classes were done gave him comfort. Besides, he could always leave a pair of clones in his dorm room to deal with the written work. And because of the memory trick involved with the technique, it was the perfect alibi!

His thoughts drifted back further, to when the small quartet were on the roof having lunch…

/

/ Flashback /

/

Naruto and company were eating lunch as they talked. The shinobi and naga were silent as they listened to the other pair explain yesterdays situation with Saizo. In return, Moka and Tsukune listened to the others tale about the Tsuchiyama brothers.

"Feels weird how both fights were so close to each other yet no one noticed." Tsukune spoke before eating. Naruto gave a nod.

"For the most part. At least until Moka-san here unleashed her hidden power." He took a drink as the girl in question gave him a confused look.

"How'd you know that power came from me?"

"Remember that little sensory ability of mine?" He asked. Moka had the decency to look sheepish.

"Eh heh, guess with everything that went on I kind of forgot." she laughed nervously as the blonde waved it off.

"It's nothing to worry about Moka-san, no harm done. Still, it surprised me when I realized that you were the source of that power surge." Moka blushed slightly at the mention. Her mind then brought up something she had completely forgotten about till now.

"Speaking of power, what about you?" All eyes turned to Moka.

"What happened to your eyes Naruto-san?" For his part Naruto had no clue as to what Moka was talking about. What about his eyes? As for Tsukune, he was just as lost as Naruto.

"What do you mean 'what happened to my eyes' Moka-san?"

"It happened just after you knocked Saizo down the hill. You were mumbling to yourself, and then your eyes glowed before you took off." He blinked, before looking at Emiko, a questioning look to his gaze. She nodded at the unspoken question.

"It's true Naruto-san. When you came back to the clearing your eyes were glowing. It might have been soft, but the glow was bright enough to be noticed." The surprise was evident in his face. He shook his head, laughing lightly with mirth.

"Huh, you really do learn something new everyday." Before anyone else could speak up, or start a new topic, the bell rung….

/

/ Flashback - End /

/

That little tidbit actually did surprise him. During those few months after the Chairman fixed the seal, he never did pull out the 'tails' while sparring with the pervert or the toads. It was always just straight Taijutsu, no chakra enhancements allowed. Whenever he practiced on pulling out his chakra like that, he always did it alone, with little success. It wasn't until the third tail filtered through that he started to succeed. It seemed his control before then wasn't where he needed it to be, or just too out of whack, to do what he had just done. Looking at his clock he decided to head in. He snuggled deep into the covers, falling asleep in mere moments. For some odd reason, he felt that he'd need the rest for the following day.

The next day was like any of the others before it. Cloudy sky, some sunlight shining through. Students moved in droves from their dorms, starting a new day at Youkai Academy. Tsukune sighed as he made his way to class like the other students. Looking around he couldn't help but think that anyone visiting here for the first time wouldn't think twice about appearances. If they were human, they'd think this was just an oddly out of place school for humans and give the matter no second thought. He still had to remind himself at times that everyone around him were actually monsters in disguise, all just learning how to live among humans. His thoughts turned outward when he heard Moka's name.

It was from one of the other freshmen a ways behind him. Turning around for a better look, he found the girl in question. Like many of the other boys looking, Tsukune couldn't help but blush. To him it seemed as if she walked in a path of light, enhancing her growing beauty. She walked steadily, with her arms behind her back holding her bag. She carried a small smile on her face, one that sent many onlookers into personal rants about her looks. As she walked on, she soon spotted the face of one of the few friends she had the pleasure of making.

"Morning Moka-san." He greeted her with a pleasant wave. His arm was grabbed tightly as she greeted the boy in return. Even after two full weeks of getting to know her and her greeting tendencies, he still wasn't used to it. And so were many of the male population of the school, many breathing angry mutterings of pain directed at the boy in the rosette's grasp. There was another in the crowd, looking on as the rosette and the boy in her grasp were the center of attention. The figure tsk'ed then walked away.

As he and Moka walked on, he couldn't help but think that while the school was full of monsters, it was worth staying so as to get to know his friends better, especially Moka. Luckily the pair was able to break away from the crowd for a little peace before the bell rang. Sitting on the steps of one of the doorways, they took a breather. Moka then turned to her brown-haired friend.

"I bet it must be lonely being the only human here Tsukune, but… I'll be there for you. So if there's anything I can do, just ask, kay?" She had a hint of bashfulness as she looked at him. All the same, Tsukune still couldn't believe how kind Moka could be.

"Wha…Moka-san… Why are you doing this for me…?" They stared at one another, just the two of them, eye to eye.

"Why? Because I…" Moka moved closer, bringing her face near the boy's own. Tsukune's blush intensified as she drew nearer.

"…I…" Her eyes had a hazy look to them, a light blush of her own adorning her cheeks. Tsukune's heart pounded harder within the confines of his chest, going faster as Moka drew even closer, inches away. His thoughts ran as rampant as his heart. Everything seemed to slow to a snail's pace as Moka drew closer…as if the kiss him…

"Ohhh… whenever I'm with you I just want to suck your blood!" Sadly for him, his thoughts would be shattered. With a slurping sound, Moka enjoyed her morning breakfast. For as much as Tsukune thought Moka was an incredibly beautiful girl, reality always reared its ugly mug when she bit into his neck nearly every morning. After detaching herself from the boy, he bemoaned in slight pain about having his blood sucked unexpectantly once again, by one Akashiya Moka.

"I'm really sorry Tsukune, it's that you aroma is so good, I just…Thanks for the treat." She ended there with a giggle, before continuing on oblivious to the fact that Tsukune had stopped moving and that the pair weren't alone.

"Your blood really is the yummiest Tsukune. If this keeps up, I think I'll become addicted to you, Tsukune." Everything that was happening with said boy went by unnoticed to the rosette. How his fists were clenched, his head bowed low.

"But I'm not your personal cuisine!" So it was expected that she would be surprised by his outburst as he walked away. She called out to him but her voice was ignored. Hearing someone call her name she looked behind her, finding Emiko with Naruto in tow.

"Morning Moka-san. What happened? Why did Tsukune walk off like that?" The silver-haired naga in disguise watched the vampire, who wore a worried look on her face before coming to answer her. Naruto for his part was deep in thought. He wasn't completely sure about it but, it would make the most sense. All he would need was one more piece of info and everything would come into place.

"I don't know why he did Emiko-chan." Moka looked on in the direction the boy went. "All I did was have breakfast and compliment him on his blood." Emiko for her part felt that she should know the answer yet for the life of her; it just wouldn't come to mind.

"Did you ask?" Naruto butted in. The girls turned to him when he spoke up. Moka looked confused while Emiko looked to have a light bulb turn on in her head; now she understood.

"Did you actually ask Tsukune if you could drink his blood this morning?" He asked again. There was no tone of accusation in his voice, he simply voiced the question. Her eyes seemed to tell him all he needed to know before she even spoke up.

"Well no, but…" She would have continued on but hearing the collective sign from both Emiko and Naruto stopped her.

"And there is the problem, Moka-chan. Naruto you go on ahead and see if you can find Tsukune alright? I'll talk with Moka-chan." Naruto looked like he wanted to argue but consented, deciding it would be better to find his friend and talk to him. With that he gave a nod before running off. He couldn't tell for sure but Naruto felt that Tsukune was the type of guy that would unknowingly take part in many crazy events, almost as much as he does. And knowing what he had gone though, that's saying something!

/

/ Earlier – with Tsukune /

/

As he walked off, Tsukune didn't notice that he was alone on the path. Holding his hand to his neck where Moka had bitten him, he pulled back and noticed that the bite had stopped bleeding. That was good, if only he could say the same for the pain.

"Geeze…If only I didn't have my blood sucked out every time we're along together, then it'd be great." He imagined Moka and the others all chatting like that time on the roof over a week back. She hadn't bitten him then, then again she had said she wasn't hungry at the time. He then pictured in his mind, Moka licking her lips, whispers of blood under her breath. It then shifted to himself with a large straw stuck in the side of his neck.

"I didn't think Moka-san would hang out with me just to suck my blood. But if that's true, what'll happen to me then?" Looking around, he noticed skeletal remains lying between some trees, snakes and spiders crawling around. The oppressing aura seemed to chill him more than anything.

'_Then__… I'll end up without anyone by my side at this freaky school?'_ His thoughts would have continued down this path if a sound hadn't taken him by surprise. An eerie moan resounded through the trees making chills race up and down the boy's spine. Looking to his left he noticed someone lying on the ground nearby.

"Someone…please…help me" The voice was soft, and definitely feminine. Looking at her, something about her immediately caught his attention. On her knees, she was using one arm to hold herself up, while the other was held just below her bust line…

'_Whoa…'_ That was all his mind really registered at first as he walked over to help the poor girl up. Kneeling in front of her he took notice that unlike the green uniform top the girls wore like Moka-san and Emiko-san; this girl wore a yellow sweatshirt over the collared shirt. Also, this girl's hair was bright cyan in colour, done up in a top knot, held by a purple tie. Her face was slightly pale, all the more pronounced by the slight blush on her cheeks. She panted lightly as she looked up at him.

"Please…lend me a hand…I just…I don't feel so well…" Her eyes looked so lost, so innocent. It pulled his heartstrings to see anyone in trouble.

"C-can you stand up? Let's get you to the infirmary." His mind made up, he began helping the girl up. As the pair began walking, the girl already began to look slightly better. Her skin was still flushed, but not as much as it was before.

"Thank you very much. I've always had a weak body." Her voice was a mere whisper. She continued to lean into Tsukune as they walked; his arm draped around her small waist protectively and supportively. He took her smile as a thankful one as they slowly moved on, one step at a time. Her breathing still sounded laboured though so Tsukune kept the pace slow.

"My…my…my chest…" He turned to her, wondering what she meant. He thought she had muscle pains from time to time. The poor fool.

"It just starts hurting all of a sudden…hold me tight like this please?" She pressed herself into him, halting the pairs advance. He looked at her in confusion as a deep blush crept up his face. He knew _exactly_ what was being pressed onto him.

"My chest feels like it's going to burst!" The girl then started moving around, rubbing her chest against him, going in circles…like most men; it became the center of the young lad's attention.

'_Whooaaa…her chest really does seem like it's going to burst…'_ the nameless girl then started pressing harder against him. _'They're so big and soft…wow…Wait a minute, what am I thinking? I'm such an idiot!' _Even against the most…alluring of opponents, one can find the strength to fight against the terror known as teenage hormones.

"Hey…look into my eyes Tsukune-"

"Oi Tsukune!" The pair turned around to find Naruto steps behind them. As the pair turned to him, he could tell something wasn't right. His instincts were telling him to tread carefully. As the girl took a step away from Tsukune and closer to Naruto, his instincts screamed that much louder. Something just seemed wrong here.

"Why hello there. I'm Kurono Kurumu. I do hope we can become good friends." She looked him in the eyes. As Naruto gazed upon her own, he could feel something trying to intrude upon his senses. As his instincts screamed at him, he immediately recalled what this feeling meant.

'_Genjutsu…huh__, didn't think I'd be dealing with one so soon…'_ Luckily for him his training as a shinobi helped fight off the girl's influence. He gave a small shrug as he moved past her, shocking Kurumu.

"I'd love to, but right now my friend and I need to get going. See ya." With that he grabbed Tsukune's arm and dragged him away from the girl who had yet to move. Her mind trying to process one thought; _'He broke my charm'_…

Moments later the two boys were inside the school, making their way down the halls. Stopping after a bit, they took a break on a bench. Tsukune took a moment to catch his breath before speaking to the blonde.

"What was that Naruto-san? I was trying to help her to the infirmary. All you did was look at her then drag me off. What's going on?" As Naruto looked at his friend, he pondered whether he should tell him what really went on or not. For his friend's peace of mind he decided not to.

"I don't really know Tsukune. All I do know is that my instincts told me something wasn't right about that girl. My instincts haven't ever been wrong as of yet, Tsukune, so listen to me when I tell you; be cautious around her, you never know what kind of youkai she is." Tsukune got the hidden meaning at that last part. He had to keep reminding himself that he was the only human here, that he knew of really. He had to be more careful or next time…well, there might not be a next time.

"Alright Naruto-san. Thanks, I'll head to my class now. You should too, the bell's about to ring at any moment." Naruto nodded as he got up. The pair walked over to class 1-3 since it was on the way. Giving him a wave, Naruto walked off as Tsukune entered the class, where he was beset by a certain cyan haired girl. Naruto turned back once, thinking he heard something on the wind. It was very faint, like a whisper, almost sounding like the word 'charm'. Believing it to be nothing more than classroom conversation, the blonde shrugged and continued on his way.

He soon made it to room 1-6, just before the bell rang, luckily. He took his seat beside Emiko and spoke to her seeing as Nanashi-sensei hadn't arrived yet.

"So did everything go alright with Moka-san, Emiko-chan?" Hearing him call her that several times allowed her to fight off the blush she had gotten at first.

"Yep, after that she said she'd talk to him and apologize to him about that when she sees him in class. Did you find Tsukune?" She smiled a little when he nodded but his contemplative look took that away.

"What happened, Naruto? Tsukune didn't get hurt did he?" He turned to her, before shaking his head.

"No, he didn't get hurt… Listen, do you know of any Youkai that can cast illusions through eye contact?" Surprised by the odd question, she thought for a moment but came up blank.

"Can't think of any off the top of my head, why do you ask?" Naruto stared at his desk with his arms crossed before starting to twirl his pencil in one hand.

"It's what happened after I found Tsukune. He looked to be helping this girl out. Before I got their attention, she looked to be pretty close to him. After words, she walked up to me, tells me her name and asks if we could be friends. She seemed normal enough, given the circumstances, but when I looked her in the eyes I felt like something was trying to intrude on my senses, take them over. That's when I realized she was trying to put me under some sort of illusion or something. After I broke through it I dragged Tsukune out of there then dropped him at his class." Emiko put a finger to her lips as she began to think. Illusions through eye contact, it was the only solid lead on what this girl was. It wasn't enough, until she knew more she couldn't make a definite conclusion.

"So what's her name? You said she introduced herself right?" Naruto rested his head in the palm of one hand while looking at Emiko from the side.

"She introduced herself as Kurono Kurumu, but it doesn't ring any bells with me." At the mention of the girls name Emiko's eyebrows shot right up. She knew who the girl was, at least from what was said in the grapevine.

"Blue hair and wears a yellow sweatshirt right?" When he agreed she nodded back.

"Thought so. I know about her. She's this one girl that looks like she's vying for the attention of all the guys in school and it looks like Tsukune was her next target. Wonder why you didn't fall for her charms?" She then gave him a look, not a pointed one, but one that seemed to insinuate something.

"She may have good looks but it's not like I haven't seen a beautiful girl before." Before Emiko could give a retort, the teacher chose that moment to walk into the classroom.

/

/ Lunch /

/

In the main hallway, Moka was by herself, leaning against a pillar. As many of the other students walked by, the young vampire was lost in thought. Everything just seemed to go wrong today between her and Tsukune. First, there was the event that morning, and then there was what happened right after he entered the classroom. She had immediately gone up to him to apologize for what happened when out of nowhere a blue-haired girl glomped Tsukune by the side. As soon as he made eye contact with that girl, something about him changed. All throughout class whenever she tried to get his attention, he ignored her and instead turned his attention to the blue-haired girl. It just didn't make sense to her.

Sure, two weeks had gone by so it was understandable that he would make more friends. At this she thought of Naruto; already he had made many friends from his class, and even hers. They weren't as close like how Emiko, Tsukune and she were, but he did hang with them from time to time. Sometimes it was just a quick chat on something before splitting up, or one would ask about a certain question from math or science. People just seemed to gravitate towards him; either that or he was just really good at making friends. So it shouldn't be so surprising that Tsukune would make another friend too.

But what felt strange to her was that she and the others hadn't ever heard about this girl at all whenever they hung out, and most of the time Moka was with Tsukune. If he had met her sometime before, why hadn't talked about it yet? Even Naruto and Emiko talked a bit about the people they had made acquaintances with. So why not Tsukune; why all the secrecy?

'_Who__ is that girl…what is she to Tsukune?'_ her thoughts ran in circles trying to find the answer. It made her feel uneasy with how they acted towards each other. _'They… really looked like lovers, didn't they? Being totally over each other like that… What's wrong with me? Why am I taking this as such a shock? I wonder…'_ She thought back to all the times when she was alone with Tsukune, and nearly every time she gave in to her desire and sucked his blood. It seems that Tsukune had reached his limit today, given his reaction.

"…_I'm not your personal cuisine!"_ He looked so frustrated, so upset. Maybe it was like Emiko had said, she never did ask if she could drink his blood every time she did, she just jumped him and took what she wanted. It made her feel down, entertaining the thought that the only reason why she wanted to be with Tsukune was for his blood; but why?

"I'm so bad… why is it when I'm with him I just want to suck his blood? I don't know myself…" she mumbled to herself, none of the other students around her taking notice of the girl's troubled demeanour. Unknown to the girl, someone had been listening and unlike her, had been keeping focus around the girl.

"_**Hey stop… This isn't the time to feel down… You're being targeted…"**_ The voice was soft, yet strong and mysterious. It came in like the whisper of a spring breeze, yet caught Moka's attention quickly, like the winds of a gale. She looked around frantically, turning her head every which way to find to source of the quiet voice.

"You're… a vampire right?" Another voice rang through the air, instantly catching the rosette's attention. Looking up she found the source of this new voice, one she recognized.

"That's what the rumours say, at the very least…Akashiya Moka." It was her, the girl that seemed to be the net that caught all of Tsukune's attention, as well as that of many other male students in the school.

"You… you were the one with Tsukune earlier! When did you…" The girl then jumped from her perch on the railing. She instantaneously became the center of attention of the guys in the hallway when she landed. Many were brain dead as they looked upon the cyan-haired girl, while the rest made loud exclamations and whispers about her, her looks; one even made mention of comparing her to Moka.

She walked with a sway to her hips, holding the attention of all the eyes of men in that hallway. She stopped when she was beside Moka, turning to the other girl as she smiled.

"I am the succubus Kurono Kurumu…and I…have come to defeat you!" Moka's eyes widened in shock at the mention of Kurumu being a succubus. She recalled what she had been told about them, how they would seduce men to their whims. And it seemed that Tsukune was her next target, but that wasn't what immediately came to mind.

"Wha…wait a moment, isn't it against school rules to…" Bless the girl for wanting to play by the rules, but that doesn't mean anything when others don't care about it like she does. That and being rude.

"I can't stand it anymore! You're the biggest eyesore in the way of my great plan!" That last part caught the vampire's attention more than the succubus' interruption did. What did she mean plan? And how did it involve Tsukune?

"P-plan? What do you mean…?" All Moka got in return for her question was a haughty laugh, one that seemed to fit the girl perfectly. She then struck a sensual pose.

"Yes… my plan is to make every boy in this academy become my slave! The Youkai Academy Harem Transformation Plan!" Thunder boomed in the distance, as a strange illusion seemed to appear behind the young succubus, depicting the front of the academy with all the men out in front, hearts for eyes as they gazed upon her. Moka and the others in the hallway were shocked, and didn't really know what to think, apart from if Kurumu was really being serious. Silence permeated the halls all around, not a voice was uttered.

"Yes, my plan was perfect! I would go year by year, enslaving all the freshmen before moving on. I should have had all the guys at the academy a slave to my beauty from the very start! However…" Her eyes took on an angry tint as she spun Moka around to face her.

"Akashiya Moka! The guys of this school are dreaming of YOU rather than ME! I'm not letting you get away with this! I could never lose in a battle of feminine charm!" The air was tense as she ranted in Moka's face. Everyone in the hall could feel it; many of them scared about the heated argument between the two, and felt that it could escalate at any moment. She soon backed off with a victorious grin on her face, one that made Moka worry.

"That's why I've decided to prove that I can defeat you; I'll show you I'm better than you… by stealing one Aono Tsukune from you!" Now that just left a bad feeling in the pit of Moka's stomach, one she hadn't felt before, but took an immediate dislike to.

"Wait a moment, Tsukune doesn't have anything to do with this…" her protest was completely ignored by the young succubus.

"I knew it from the moment we were close earlier…he has a really good scent…just like a _human_!" If Moka wasn't worried about the situation before, she was now. Everyday Tsukune ran the risk of being discovered every moment he stayed here. She knew many of the students would just love the chance to either maul, beat or kill the poor guy; or enslave as was the case in this particular scenario. Oblivious to the thoughts of the worried vampire, Kurumu went on.

"Is his blood delicious?" The question snapped Moka out of her thoughts. "You're just using Tsukune-kun as 'food', aren't you?" She laughed. "The look on your face when he is taken from you will be a sight to see!" At the accusation, Moka began denying it until a certain someone chose that exact moment to appear.

"Moka-saaan!" The focus of the girls' argument called out as he made his way through the crowd. Instantly the students watching began to mutter to one another, just knowing the situation would turn ugly.

"Ah…there you are, sorry for running off like that." He stopped a couple steps from the girl as he quickly gathered his thoughts.

"Um… there's something I want to apologize for Moka-san…" The whole situation looked like it would go smoothly, if only the chaos in the form of a young succubus hadn't suddenly hugged the lad.

"Ohhh! It's Tsukune-kun! Thank you so much for earlier!" She spoke in a sing-song voice as she made a repeat performance of what occurred that morning as she hugged him around the neck. Tsukune for his part couldn't think for a moment, his mind preoccupied with the current physical sensation he was experiencing. As for Moka…a tick mark appeared as she watched the proceedings, her hands tightening into fists.

"WH- WH- why are you here Kurumu-san...? Wait, I came to apologize to Moka-san!" Like all men caught in similar situations, the very person Tsukune wished to speak to already had a dark aura surrounding her. Her hair flailed about as she looked at the boy, looking none too pleased.

"**What's with you… you****'re worried about someone… and yet… you make such a happy face…"** Just by the tone of her voice Tsukune knew he was in trouble. A pissed off girl was scary enough, a pissed of super vampire was like Armageddon. Luckily for him, Moka wasn't _as_ pissed as he believed her to be; for she shook her head before looking at him worriedly.

"You're being tricked Tsukune! Hurry up and get that girl off of you, quick!" The sudden shift in Moka's actions were sending mixed signals to the boy's mind, slowing him down from actually doing what the girl had asked.

"That girl Kurumu really isn't your friend!" The girl in question knew her plan was in jeopardy and had to do something else she'd lose! With that, she set things in motion…

"…how awful…how can you say such things…? Ahh… I'm getting dizzy again…please take me to the infirmary…" With that, she collapsed against Tsukune, who caught her automatically. Unfortunately for the young lad, all was going according to Kurumu's plan. Shifting around for a better position, she locked eyes with Tsukune.

'_Charm'_ and with that, Tsukune had once again been captured. He tried fighting it with all his will, but the spell again proved too strong. The control over his body had once again been taken by the succubus. Moka looked on, watching as Tsukune seemed to make the same odd body shift much like this morning when Kurumu had first appeared.

"Please…believe me Tsukune… That girl is dangerous; she's going to eat you before long…" She became all the more worried when he turned to her, looking at her with those same glazed eyes as before.

"Oh really…weren't you the one sucking my blood Moka-san?" Her heart was like a new piece of glass, and those words were like a brick crashing through, shattering it. As tears began to well up, threatening to fall, the charms hold on Tsukune seemingly dissipated, letting him get his bearings. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Like a bat out of hell, Moka ran off, wailing as she cried. Tsukune could only look on, feeling sadness and guilt for hurting his friend. Kurumu just bore a small triumphant smile, knowing she had won. Too bad for her, it wasn't going to last very long.

"Hey Tsukune! What the hell's going on here?" Both the succubus and the boy in question turned to find one Uzumaki Naruto walking up to them. Seeing Kurumu there beside Tsukune, Naruto could already deduce what had happened, or something close to it. Tsukune, at any other time, would have been happy to see his blonde-haired friend appear, but right now his mind was still focused on what he had just done.

Kurumu on the other hand, couldn't believe her luck. Standing right here was the only other guy in freshman year she had yet to 'convert' to her team. She didn't know how he had gotten out so quickly the first time, but chalked it up to a fluke. Things like that happened from time to time. All she needed to do was lay the charm on more forcefully, and then this blonde boy would be serving her hand and foot!

Many of the students began muttering to each other once more, not that Naruto paid them any mind. All he cared for right now was getting his friend out of here and straightening things out with Moka. As he approached, he noticed that Tsukune was still off in his own little world. Before he could grab him, the cyan-haired succubus stood in his way.

"You seem stressed Naruto-kun. Why don't you let me make it all better…?" she moved to place a hand on his chest, but the shinobi brushed her arm away.

"Not interested. Now if you'll excuse me…" he pushed her to the side lightly, something Kurumu didn't like at all. Before Naruto could move closer to the still oblivious Tsukune, Kurumu spun him around. She grabbed his collar and pulled him face to face, making perfect eye contact.

"Charm." Even without his shinobi training, he could have heard her loud and clear. He had been surprised by her strength initially, but it passed over quickly. He reaffirmed in his mind to not be fooled by appearances. Unfortunately, she had caught him a little unaware, and the next thing he knew, he could feel his senses being intruded upon…again.

Kurumu watched as Naruto's deep cerulean eyes slowly became unfocused. So what if the first time hadn't worked? A little more force was all that was needed, and any man would fall to her whims. A victorious smile graced her lips as she let go of the boy's collar. She moved past him in order to grab her original prize. She felt a strange breeze pass by the moment she was beside Naruto, but paid it no mind. She did however; pay direct attention to the hand that grabbed her arm.

She turned back, watching as Naruto slowly twisted to face her. His eyes were closed, and his face relaxed. When he opened his eyes, she couldn't hold back the light gasp that escaped her lips. His eyes, which were once simply a deep cerulean blue, were now glowing faintly.

His face didn't change; he did not smile, no smirk nor frown nor sneer. He simply looked at her with a straight face. But his eyes were what held her attention. Those same glowing eyes held such a fiery determination within them; they planted the smallest of seeds within her mind. The seed of doubt, over whether she could actually control him.

As the glow slowly faded, he released her arm. He only stopped once as he walked over to Tsukune, who was still oblivious to the entire situation. He spoke only a single sentence before continuing on.

"Don't do that again Kurumu-san; I don't like it when someone tries to take over my body." With that he grabbed Tsukune by the shoulder and made his way through the halls. Some of the students moved aside as he walked, while the rest simply left to attend to their own business. Once the pair was alone in the hallway, Naruto stopped, and looked at his companion. He gave a tired sigh before cuffing Tsukune upside the head, effectively bringing his focus back to reality.

"Wha…Naruto-san, what happened? Why'd you hit me?" he asked as he rubbed his head, wincing whenever he rubbed too hard.

"I hit you because it was the best way to get you out of your funk. As for what happened, Kurono Kurumu happened." That was Naruto's reply. Before the boy could question the blonde shinobi, a voice called out to them. Turning, the pair saw Emiko running up to them.

"Hey you two; where's Moka-san? Is everything alright?" She shifted her gaze from one to the other. Tsukune, at the mention of the rosette, seemed to deflate, a look of great guilt appeared on his face. Naruto merely sighed through his nose as he ran a hand through his hair.

"No, everything's not alright. That girl Kurumu had a run in with Moka." That caught the Naga's attention. "I wasn't there for the whole thing, just for the end of it. Tsukune was there as well, with Kurumu hanging off him. Obviously he said something to Moka because when I got there, I got a front row seat to Moka running off crying." Looking at Tsukune, Emiko watched as a dark cloud seemingly appeared above his head, while he deflated even more.

"We were just on our way to find Moka and explain things to her. While I don't know what Tsukune said to her, what I do know is that those words weren't his own." The deflated youth looked up at his blonde friend with a surprised look. Emiko gave the blonde a nod at that.

"I might agree to Tsukune-san not meaning the words he said, but I wouldn't agree on either of you seeing Moka-chan right now. With what just happened, I doubt she'd take to seeing either of you well." Were Emiko's words of wisdom. Both boys sighed simultaneously, Tsukune dropping his shoulders further.

"Then do you suppose you could find and talk to her Emiko-chan? I doubt she'd have any qualms talking with you." She gave a nod while smiling at the two. When asked what direction Moka had gone, Naruto simply pointed down the hall ahead of them. With a wave and a promise to meet later, Emiko jogged off. The two boys made a left turn out the doors and walked the path outside.

Naruto walked with his hands behind his head while Tsukune had his hands in his pockets. The weather was nice out; soft breeze, a little sunshine, but Tsukune thought nothing of this. His mind was focused more on recent events.

'_How can he believe that I'm not to blame? It doesn't matter what kind of influence I'm under, _I_ still said those hurtful words and made Moka cry. She'll probably hate me, no matter what Emiko-san says to her. And her inner-self…'_ He shivered. _'I'll be lucky to only be sent unconscious early the next time she sees me…'_ Tsukune was broken from his train of thought when he heard a shout. Looking up, he noticed a small group of guys waving as they ran up to him and Naruto. He only vaguely remembered them; the whole group was from Naruto's homeroom. He sighed once more; they were probably here for advice…again. This would probably be the third time this had happened.

"Ne, ne, Naruto-san. Suppose you could help us out with something?" Altogether there were five of them, all of various sizes and shapes in their human forms. The one who spoke was only a little shorter than Naruto. Cropped brown hair, green eyes, round face, he wasn't one someone would immediately distinguish from a crowd.

"Sure, I got a bit of time Kenshin. What's got you puzzled this time?" As the one named Kenshin explained, the others slowly crowded around the blonde, pushing Tsukune back. When the largest one completely blocked his view, he felt a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, all he saw was cyan hair tied by a purple ribbon before he relinquished control of his body once more. As he silently followed the succubus, he bemoaned his weakness from within his mind.

"…so you see, after you carry over the 4, the answer is 10. Do you get it now?" He finished off as Kenshin and one of the others wrote down his advice. Something felt wrong however. This was practically the same situation as the last time his classmates came for advice. He hid it well, keeping the smile on his face as the group left through the doors nearby. Once the door closed he frowned as he rubbed his chin with one hand.

"This is weird. It was only a few days ago that he asked me for help with math. And it was just yesterday that he showed in-class that he understood it. Something's up here, don't you agree Tsukune?" He asked only to receive silence. Turning around he found nothing but an empty pathway. He stared silently before letting out an annoyed growl while scratching his hair furiously.

'_I've been DUPED! Not only by that damn girl but with one of the oldest tricks in the book! If anyone back home hears about this I wouldn't hear the end of it!'_ He took a deep breath to calm down and focus. He really wished his ability to sense people out was better; it'd make things so much easier. With a sigh, Naruto jogged off to look for his re-captured friend the old fashioned way…

/

/ Meanwhile /

/

Alone on a set of steps, Moka wiped away the last of her tears with her handkerchief. Hugging her knees to her chest she questioned everything that had to do with Tsukune in her mind.

"…What am I to Tsukune, really…? Is the only thing I care about is his blood? Do I even care about his feelings…?" As she slowly spiralled downwards a voice decided to make itself known.

"_**You're being **__**too naïve girl…That boy is only being manipulated…"**_ Moka gasped in shock; it was that voice from before! As she looked down she found the Rosario floating in the air, the red jewel emitting a soft glow.

"_**What that girl is using is called 'Charm'…a work of sorcery to turn anyone of the opposite sex **__**into your slave, willing or not…"**_ She finally knew where that voice was from! It was from the Rosario this whole time. She didn't know it could do something like this!

"_**Silly girl, I am not the Rosario. I am another you…I'm simply using this Rosario as a medium of which to talk with you, from deep within our psyche…"**_ So this was her inner self, that which she had sealed off years ago. Today was the first time that she'd ever made contact with her inner-self, or the opposite as was the case.

"_**Remember this…the succubus is a demon that seduces males…one kiss from her and **__**any male is doomed to become her slave…for **_**eternity**_**..."**_ Moka became fearful; she didn't want to lose him, not to anything!_** "You must hurry…at this rate Tsukune will soon be turned into her slave…"**_With her part finished, Moka's inner self retreated to the confines of her psyche, the Rosario returning to normal. Before she could do anything, the doors behind her opened, scaring the girl. She calmed when she saw that it was Emiko.

"There you are Moka-chan, I've been looking for-"

"There's no time, Tsukune's in danger!" The vampire cut the Naga off. "Come on I'll explain as we run. But tell me first, what would be the most isolated place in the school right now?" Unprepared for the question, Emiko was a little sluggish; her mind trying to catch up. But seeing the look of urgency on Moka's face brought her up to speed.

"Well…there are the storage rooms for the gym equipment, but I passed them earlier and the gym teacher was there. Umm…I heard that the nurse was on leave today so the infirmary would be empty…" It was as good a lead as any to Moka. The pair then ran of in the direction of the infirmary. She just hoped Emiko was right, because if she wasn't, then she'd lose Tsukune forever.

/

/ Infirmary /

/

In the back of the infirmary sat both Kurumu and Tsukune. The young succubus was sitting on one of the beds; twin waterfalls of tears fell in joy as she trembled in excitement over her accomplishments.

'_I did it! I did it! I finally did it!" _It took all her mental will power to keep herself situated on the bed, and even then she could not sit still. Her whole body continued to shake, losing enough control over her form that a tail sprouted from behind. Of course, it went unnoticed by the young lad who sat in a chair beside the bed; a small aura of gloom around him.

'_Why did all this have to happen? First this morning with __the argument, then those words, and now I've been caught again! This really puts out the perspective doesn't it, being the only human here. Why can't I be resilient like Naruto? He broke free easily!'_ As the boy continued to lament his lack of strength being a mere human, Kurumu continued to tremble in her excitement.

'_Today just couldn't get any better than this! First I made that annoying Moka girl cry! Ahh… did you see that face? I even tricked that stupid blonde, with one of the simplest tricks! He may be cute but he's not worth the trouble, I have my prize __right here…' _She passed a glance at her 'captive', still unaware of the world around him. Her excitement began to build again, she just couldn't take it! Taking a couple deep breaths, she reigned in her excitement. Looking at the boy again, she smiled in triumph.

'_Now…all I have to do is make him my slave and I win…' _With that she crawled across the bed to him, calling out his name to get his attention. Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to Kurumu only to have his face wedged between her breasts. Now things were taking a new turn on weird here for the boy. First there was the whole debacle today with Moka, snatched away when he last expected it, and now this! If she was continuing the charade of a _very_ affectionate girl before she decides to eat him, she's doing a bang-up job!

"Oh Tsukune…you're sad aren't you…? Just leave this to me, I'll do everything to make it up to you and make you feel better…" she held him in a comforting embrace, resting her head atop his own. Next thing he knew, he was on the bed with Kurumu slowly crawling over him. Looking into her eyes he began to feel dizzy once more; he knew that if he didn't do something, it would be all over.

'_Funny…even my heart has begun to race__, yet…with this kiss the charm spell will be complete…and I'll get back at Akashiya Moka!' _Her goal in mind, she brought her face closer to Tsukune's, her lips mere inches away from his. So focused was she, she never noticed the boy's arms moving shakily. When she could feel his warm breath against her lips, he suddenly grabbed her, eliciting a small yelp from the girl. He hugged her close, and unknowingly just saved himself from a life of slavery.

'_Ooh and I was so close too. The kiss…'_ Her thoughts reflected her annoyance and light frustration. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to find that Tsukune was sitting up straight, hugging her with one arm.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this…" Kurumu was shocked further by his words. "There is someone I don't want to betray, Kurumu. I'm sorry…" Her mind whirled as all her frustration came to the fore. Even though she took all the precautions to prevent escape, he still avoided the kiss and hugged her in spite of it.

"…why… do you hate me that much…?" It begun as a mere whisper. "Is she that much better than me…? And I did everything for you! Even though some of the things I did were embarrassing…I still **did it for YOU!"** Her voice rose in crescendo as she spoke, pushing Tsukune away as she cradled her head. She'd never lost to any other girl before and yet now…she just wished Akashiya Moka didn't ever exist.

Tsukune couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. He didn't know she'd react like this. He got nervous when her voice grew in volume, but began to freak when a pair of protrusions grew from her back. Looking at him with a pissed look, she hovered in the air with her newly revealed wings. Her ears became pointed like an elf's; her nails grew over six inches, and her tail waved with agitation. Her true form was finally shown to him, and if he wasn't scared shitless, he'd admire her looks.

"All right, now I'm pissed!" She focused on Tsukune, her claws poised to stab. He couldn't scream any louder.

"Moka…I'll destroy anything that has to do with her!" Her eyes shut tight from both anger and pain, she rushed forward. Thankfully for the boy, his saviours arrived just in time. Opening the door, Moka and Emiko came in.

"Tsukune…Get your hands off him!" Moka reacted quickly, shoving Kurumu out the window. Shocked by the surprising amount of power behind the move, Kurumu could do nothing as she flew through the air.

The rosette turned to the boy. "Run, get out of here Tsukune, while there's still time!"

"Wait a minute! What the heck is going on here?" Everyone has a limit to how much weirdness they can take. Tsukune couldn't take it anymore and wanted answers now!

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this Tsukune…that girl…she wants revenge on me and she's targeted you to get it Tsukune!" She kept an eye on the window as she spoke, never knowing when the succubus would return. Tsukune had a slightly blank look on his face. Sure, he understood what Moka said, but that didn't explain the situation fully. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned to see Emiko looking at him.

"Tsukune, Kurumu is a succubus; a monster that specifically seduces men. She used her powers of seduction on you in order to get at Moka." He gasped. So that was how she did it. He couldn't believe how close he was to betraying one of the few friends he had here.

"Humph… a vampire's power really is something… to be thrown so far…" All three turned to the window to find Kurumu hovering just beyond its ledge.

"Get over here…so I can kill the both of you!" She rushed in with remarkable speed, appearing between Moka and Tsukune. She spun, kicking at the pair. Emiko was lucky, for she was out of range. Moka was lucky, for she was only kicked into the wall; it barely hurt due to her being a vampire. Tsukune was the unlucky one; he was kicked right out the window. He didn't have far to fall, since the room was on the second story. Still, he instinctively curled in tight to absorb the shock of the landing.

Kurumu gave a haughty laugh as she looked out the window at how far the boy traveled. So preoccupied was she that the movement of the other two girls went unnoticed. She was caught by surprise when both Moka and Emiko launched her through the open window. She quickly regained focus and shook off her unwanted passengers, dropping them on the ground roughly before going higher.

"Tsukune!" Moka called out as she hastily rose to her feet, running to the boy. Emiko ran with her and helped the boy to his feet. Looking around the trees she could hear Kurumu, as she laughed and the flap of her wings. This girl was fast, much too fast to give her the time needed to transform. Then she thought of Moka's sealed power.

"Whatever you do to unseal your power Moka-chan, you'd better do it quick-LOOK OUT!" She yelled out, tackling the pair to the ground as Kurumu swooped low. Luckily for them they were unharmed; they couldn't say the same for the tree behind them however. The top half slowly slid to the side before toppling over. Looking at the sliced trunk Tsukune gasped at the sharpness of Kurumu's nails. He was dragged to the fore by Moka.

"Hurry Tsukune! Hurry and take the Rosario off before we're killed!" He gave a quick nod before grasping the cross-shaped pendant. He gave a hard tug…only for nothing to happen.

"Ah! It won't come off? It won't even budge!" _'Well, there goes that idea.' _Thought Emiko. If she couldn't transform and Moka couldn't unseal her power, they had only one hope, Naruto. It was a long shot; she just hoped Moka and Tsukune would be lucky enough to survive till he arrived to help. They all ducked as Kurumu went for another pass, laughing as she did.

"If that idea's a bust then the only way to survive this is with Naruto. I'll try to find him; try not to get hit until I come back with him!" She called out as she ran off in search of the blonde. Both Moka and Tsukune had a moment to watch her retreating form with exasperated looks, thinking if she were serious. Dodging another pass brought them back to reality. Looking at the succubus as she turned for another pass, she hugged Tsukune protectively.

"Ha-ha, you stupid monster! All you have is strength! It looks like Tsukune is nothing but a burden to you, now just give up and die!" She laughed aloud as she charged in. Still holding the Rosario, Tsukune looked at Moka with a questioning glance.

"At a time like this I know exactly what to do…" It came out as a soft whisper, only Tsukune heard it for being so close. As she held him close, she thought over all the times they had hung out together. She thought on how much she didn't want to lose a friend such as him.

She cried out. "This isn't a matter of his blood! Tsukune is a very precious friend! If you want to fight someone, then fight me!"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh!" Kurumu was unperturbed as she closed in, claws tensed to strike. Tsukune thought quickly, knowing that if something didn't happen soon, they were toast. This all happened because he got caught in that stupid spell! He didn't want to be a burden to anyone! Nor was he going to be, not anymore.

"I'm not a burden to **anyone!**" He cried out as he stood fully. This also had the effect of pulling the Rosario free. In a great display of light and power, inner-Moka was released once more.

A distance away, Emiko stopped as she felt the rise in power. She may have been relieved that now Tsukune would be safe from Kurumu, but she still focused on finding Naruto. Tsukune may be safe from Kurumu, but who ever said that he was safe from inner-Moka? And who's to say that inner-Moka won't make things get out of hand? Thankfully, she ran right into the person she was looking for before turning around the corner.

"Itai… who the, Emiko-chan?" He rubbed his chin where they had made rough contact.

"Naruto; I'm glad I found you. Come on, we have to hurry!" She got herself up from the ground and extended a hand towards Naruto. She gave him a quick run-down of what had just happened. Looking in the direction of Moka's awakened power, the pair rushed off, hoping they made it in time…

With Tsukune, he could only watch as inner-Moka completely outclassed Kurumu as they fought. He thought over what Kurumu had said, about finding that one 'destined encounter'. So this whole situation was about a destined mate? It sounded only vaguely familiar to one of the many soaps his mom would watch. So in reality, Kurumu never did have any bad intentions in the first place. Looking now, he saw inner-Moka move slowly towards Kurumu's fallen form.

Inner-Moka felt annoyed with Kurumu, what with her actions and behaviour. Just like with everything else that annoyed her, she dealt with it. Before she could make due on her thoughts, Tsukune appeared, standing between her and Kurumu.

"_**What is this? Move! Was this not the girl that tricked and tried to kill you?"**_ She expected him to move aside, like they all did before. What she didn't expect was for him to stand there calmly and look her in the eye. She could tell he was nervous, and yet he still stood firm.

"…This is enough; I don't believe that Kurumu-san did any of this with purely negative intentions." Hearing this made Kurumu look at him in shock and confusion. After everything she did, all that she made him do, he would stand up for her?

"It's just that, I really can't see Kurumu as a bad person at heart." Those words were burned into the girl's mind. No one had ever said anything like this about her.

"Just like how the way you are now Moka-san, you're someone we can depend on." He continued on. A small frown appeared on her face. She walked forward and snatched the Rosario from his hands.

"_**Humph…Don't misunderstand my intentions…I simply don't want your blood to be taken by anyone other than I…remember, I'm not the same as my other self…"**_ She then placed the pendant back on the chain, sealing her power once more. As her falling form was caught by Tsukune, Naruto and Emiko arrived in the clearing.

"Huh, guess we missed it. Come on; let's take her someplace where she can rest up." Naruto offered as he walked towards the pair.

"You take her for a second, there's something I have to do." Naruto and Emiko shared a look before Naruto shrugged his shoulders. As Emiko helped place the sleeping Moka on Naruto's back, Tsukune made his way to the lone succubus.

"I know we got off to the wrong foot because of all this but, because you originally didn't mean any harm to anyone, I forgive you." She looked on with wide eyes as he gave her a parting smile as he left with the others. Watching their retreating backs, Kurumu made her decision right there. Regaining her human form, she slowly made her way to the infirmary to heal up…

/

/ Next Day /

/

Things seemed to have returned to normal. Just like before, Moka and Tsukune walked together from their dorms, talking as they went. Though there seemed to be a surprise waiting for the boy…

"What? The Rosario started talking to you?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, this time the voice was what saved us in the end…but it's strange isn't it? Maybe the seal is weakening…" Tsukune looked at the rosette, unsure as to where she was heading. She looked nervous, giving a shy look as she gazed at him from the corner of her eye.

"If…if it ever came to the point that the seal no longer worked, would you still like me…Tsukune?" As he gave his immediate reply, Naruto and Emiko walked a distance behind them, watching events unfold.

Emiko gave a small giggle. "Isn't it funny watching them and how they act, Naruto?"

"If you say so. And I think it's about to get funnier. Look at 1o'clock." She did so, and found one Kurono Kurumu walking towards the oblivious pair ahead of them. She didn't look like she was going to cause trouble, what with the kind smile and…was that a plate of cookies in her hands?

"Good morning!" Surprising the two from their little spell, they looked on wondering what was going to happen this time. Kurumu was more than happy to answer.

"I have some cookies here that I baked myself, Tsukune-kun. Won't you eat them with me?" Tsukune looked on confused. Since when was she this cheerful? Not that he had any problem with that, it was just sudden. But there was one thing on his mind; why him of all people? When he voiced this aloud, Kurumu gave a demure expression, holding her face with one hand and the plate with the other.

"Well…remember what I said yesterday about finding my one and only destined one?" Hearing this Moka started to get a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. Tsukune looked on, unaware of the signals being sent off. Naruto on the other hand, he was holding a fist to his mouth, biting down to stem his laughter. He had a feeling he knew exactly what was going to happen. If he was right, it looked like Tsukune's life would get far more interesting from that point forward.

Emiko looked at him with a questioning glance. Naruto saw it out of the corner of his eye and it made it all the harder to hold it in. He simply told her to wait and watch as he turned his attention back towards the three in front of him.

"I've decided that….my destined one is you, Tsukune-kun." Moka, Tsukune and many other students around looked on in shock at her declaration. It wasn't everyday that a succubus openly announced who her 'Mate of Fate' would be. Naruto just couldn't hold it in any longer and began to laugh himself hoarse. Ignoring all those around her but her newly chosen destined one, Kurumu continued on.

"Oh Tsukune-kun…yesterday you risked your life to protect me. I was so touched by your kindness that I couldn't help but fall in love with you!" The boy could do nothing but gape as he pointed to himself, while Moka began a stare off with Kurumu.

Emiko just looked on, bemused, as the event unfolded. Looking at her blonde friend, she watched as he wiped away tears of mirth, calming himself down.

"You do know that if you were in his position Naruto, you wouldn't be laughing that hard, if at all." He turned to her with a small smile, and a look that begged a certain question.

"Are you serious Emiko-chan? I may not know everything, but I do know one thing. There is no possible way that I'll ever be in that sort of situation." She shook her head at that with a bemused smile. The smile disappeared however when Naruto suddenly shivered.

"What was that, Naruto? Are you all right?" She asked with a little concern.

"I'm fine Emiko-chan. It's just that…I suddenly felt this massive chill race up my spine just now. It felt so weird, not bad weird, just….weird." Before she could comment on it, she released a massive sneeze; and unknown to the pair, so did three other students at the school. Naruto's life was going to get quite interesting in the future…

/

/ Location Unknown /

/

The area was dark; with poor illumination because so few candles were lit. The mere silhouettes of two people were present. Both were covered in shadow, making it all the harder to see any distinguishing features through the darkness. All that could be discerned were their eyes. The one to the left was a little shorter than the other; this one had hard steely teal eyes. The other had eyes that held no emotion, only a cold, calculating gaze. Grey ringed eyes peered into the darkness as more silhouettes appeared. One by one they gathered till there were nine in total. All was silent, though some looked like they wished to speak. Still, they waited until given permission.

"Report, Zetzu." The one with grey eyes tuned to one of the taller silhouettes, whom had glowing yellow eyes. The man, named Zetzu, looked to have a pair of growing protrusions from wither side of him head. Other than the fact that he was standing upside down from the ceiling, he seemed relatively normal.

"Hai. Nothing new to report on the host of the Ichibi; it has not left Sunagakure at all. Both the Nibi and Hachibi hosts remain in Kumogakure, though the exact location of the Hachibi's host remains unknown for now… The Sanbi has been released from its host, and is now somewhere deep within Kirigakure's territory. The host of the Yonbi is solitary at the moment… residing as a hermit within the territory of Hi-no-kuni. The Kyuubi's host however…" Zetzu hesitated. The man with grey eyes turned to him, expecting an answer.

"It…seems that the host has disappeared entirely from this world. I cannot find him." Hearing this, some of the other members began cursing and arguing with one another.

"Quiet." The command was simple, yet effective. All noise ceased to exist, except the flicker of the candles, and the random drops of water from the ceiling above. Some didn't look too pleased, but hid their annoyance and frustration well. Though one member sneered as he looked at Zetzu. He seemed to hold a large blade behind him, it looked like a three-bladed scythe.

"What's the matter Zetzu? Can't you keep track of one fuckin' little Jinchuuriki brat? You knew where he went when he joined that stupid Gama-sennin for the past two years and now you say you can't find him?" He would have continued to rant had the presence of their leader's killer intent not made itself known.

"That is enough, Hidan. Although, he does make an excellent point. How could you have lost the trail of one of the most important pieces to our plan? Explain." He stared unemotionally at Zetzu, calmly awaiting his explanation.

"…It all started out a little over two and a half months ago; when we all felt the sudden jump in the Kyuubi's youki near the northern edge of Taki-no-kuni. As ordered, I immediately went to investigate. When I arrived I was… halted in my advance. I was only close enough the see their camp fire in the far distance. All I could feel were the presence of Jiraiya, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and one other. It was this third presence that would not allow me to pass." Before any other members could interrupt, like Hidan, who looked about ready to blow a fuse, they were all sent a look from the man with grey eyes. He then looked at Zetzu, telling him to continue.

"For the entire week I was there, I could not move any further inward. Then, when that third powerful presence disappeared, so too did that of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and Jiraiya. Just recently, two weeks ago, Jiraiya appeared once more within the borders of Hi-no-kuni, but he was alone. This whole time, I have not seen or felt that odd presence appear again." Finished with his piece, he fell silent as the leader mulled over his latest Intel.

This was indeed troubling; a supposedly new player had appeared; one with enough power to almost nullify Zetzu's abilities. It didn't matter, however. No matter how long or where they hid it, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki would be found, just like the rest of them. Opening his eyes, he stared out at the group.

"Zetzu, worry not about the Kyuubi's host for now, it cannot be hidden for long. Put your focus on finding the host of the Hachibi; go." With a nod, Zetzu's silhouette seemed to melt into the ceiling before disappearing completely. The leader then turned to the rest.

"For now we shall wait, it means nothing in the end. In two weeks time we shall move once more, be ready." As many gave their affirmative and disappeared, some gave one last grunt about waiting before the original pair was alone once more. Then, they too disappeared.

Within a large metallic room, circular eyes opened, before turning to the window watching the rain as it fell, endlessly. He didn't look away when he heard the door behind him open, then close. Like he, the figure wore the uniform of their organization; a large black cloak decorated with red clouds outlined in white. The high collar did nothing to hide the figures face, indicating that the figure was a woman.

Her face was thin, but sculpted well. High cheek bones and a smooth pointed chin. A single piercing was located in the middle of her bottom lip. Both lips were coloured a pale dark blue, a theme that was pervading from the rest of her face. Her eyes were a hard teal, with blue mascara with black outlining her eyes. Her hair was blue as well; short and cut to the shoulder, while the rest was done up in a tight bun on the right side of her head. The bun was held by the most peculiar of pins. A large flower, one made of paper, held the bun in place. Lastly, on the middle finger of her right hand was a gold ring with the symbol for the word 'white' on it.

She looked at the man, her leader, as he gazed out into the rain. Spiky hair, coloured as orange as the fruit its namesake came from, with only the lightest hint of red. His face had a strong chin, and was directly between being round and narrow. Dotting his face was a multitude of piercings, each as black as ebony. Two were placed on his bottom lip. Three were situated on each side of his nose, in a pair of neat lines; and each ear had eight piercings, seven bands on the rim with a spike that went from top to bottom. His eyes were a solid grey, dabbled with black rings encircling the pupil. On his right thumb, was a gold ring with the symbol for the word 'zero'. Lastly on his forehead was a scratched forehead-protector, marked with the symbol of Rain country, marking him as a nuke-nin.

"The news that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has disappeared completely is very troubling. What are you going to do, Pein?" She asked, looking at him. He said nothing, nor did he turn to her. He simply kept silent, watching the rain fall over the large metallic spires that made up the city of Amegakure. Knowing she wouldn't get an answer, she simply joined him, watching as the water fell from the sky…

* * *

_And with that, another chapter is completed. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it. As for the next chapter, my plan is this: I wish to keep at least a chapter in reserve while posting. So, after chapter 4 is done being edited and I've started work with chapter 6, the next chapter will be posted. Thanks again to gmsephiroth for taking the time for look over my work and help develope ideas._


	4. AN EDIT see end of page

Have you heard! The owners of FanFiction are planning on taking down stories that have lemons! Apparently, they don't believe that stories that have such mature stuff should be allowed. Its not our fault that such things are interesting to us. If they wanted to do something, they would just make a MA rating category that contains stuff like that, bellow is a petition that is signed by authors who share the same feelings we do. Read it, Sign it, and Pass it on.

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

Also I would ask that you go to and sign two online petitions fighting against this story removal policy. The first petition already has over 22,000 signatures and is still growing.

**www. change (dot org) /petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net#**

(Just close in the spaces at the beginning to use and input **dot org** and **dot com** correctly)

**www. ipetitions (dot com) /petition/lemons-for-fanfiction/**

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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EDIT ! EDIT ! EDIT ! EDIT

As recieved from s4ik0ryu

Help spread the word!

Here's some info I got from a reviewer named Rei concerning those responsible.

The source of the purge has been found. A group of regular FF users, Critics United, will post any story they don't like on their forum. Then they have all their members mass report it until the story is deleted. In their forum they say they hope to cause another purge soon.

They are not critics; they are bullies. They do not offer constructive criticism; they flame and poke fun. They like to call stories sh¡tfics, and call authors whose story they got deleted 'immature' and 'likely to b¡tch at them.' They often use heavy sarcasm and condescension in their supposed 'constructive criticism.'

The head of Critics United has MA sex scenes in her stories.

Copy and Paste.

Spread the word.


End file.
